Sentinel to the Stars
by Larabeelady
Summary: Dr Daniel Jackson comes looking for old friend, Blair Sandburg, for help with a find on another planet. Blair brings along his Sentinel.


_SENTINEL TO THE STARS_

_BY ANDI C_

/-denotes talking in a different language

Cheyenne Mountain complex

General Hammond walked into the briefing room and took his customary place at the head of the conference table. "Sorry, people. I was on the phone with the Secretary of Defense." He set the papers he carried on the table and focused his attention on the four team-members surrounding the table. "So, Colonel O'Neill, what did you find on P3S559?"

"Well, Sir, the MALP was right." The Colonel said, indicating the robot that was sent through the Stargaze before any mission as a safety precaution. "There was no evidence that intelligent life still exists on the planet. We walked for over an hour in each direction and didn't see any kind of humanoid life."

The General looked perplexed. "Still exists? Does that mean you found evidence that some kind of people existed there at one time?"

"We did find evidence of previous inhabitants, General," Teal'c said. Teal'c was the alien member of their team. Born and raised on the planet Chulak, Teal'c had turned against his previous master, Apophis, when he had met the members of SG-1, the team now sitting in this room. The team he was proud to be part of.

"What kind of evidence?" the General asked.

O'Neill looked over at the young man seated to his right. "Daniel?"

Daniel Jackson raised his eyes from the papers before him, pausing to adjust his glasses. "Yes, Sir. We found an obelisk about three hundred yards from the Stargate." He handed over a picture of a tall, pillar-like structure about ten feet tall. The pillar had four sides and the top was in the shape of a pyramid. The structure was gray and looked to be made out of a material similar to granite. Even with the grainy picture, General Hammond could see evidence of symbols carved into the rock.

"Do you have any idea what the symbols mean, Dr. Jackson?" the General asked.

"No, Sir, but I think I do recognize some of the symbols. I do need to verify this, but the symbols may be a form of Crulean."

Even Major Samantha Carter looked confused. "Crulean? I've never heard of that," she said.

"Not surprising, not very many people have. The Crulee tribe is thought to have died out more than a thousand years ago. The only reason I've heard of them is that a friend I knew in grad school worked on a dig when a Crulee village was uncovered. He showed me pictures from the excavation." He pulled out another picture, a close up of one of the symbols on the obelisk.

"That's when I first saw this symbol, I'm sure of it."

"If you can verify this, Dr. Jackson," the General asked, "Can you translate the symbols?"

Daniel shook his head. "No, sir. I don't know enough about the Crulee or related tribes to be able to do that."

Major Carter spoke up. "But, Daniel, you're an expert in ancient languages."

"Egyptian languages, Sam. That's not the case here. And that's what makes this an important find."

"Explain, Dr. Jackson," the General said.

"Sir, we know that the Goa'uld had a big influence on the Egyptian culture because of the presence of the Stargate. And we know that Thor and the Aasgard influenced the Norse culture. But the Crulee lived in the rain forests of South America."

"South America?" Sam exclaimed. "How did the language of a South American tribe end up on P3S559?"

"I don't know, Sam. We've suspected that races using the Stargate may have influenced other cultures on Earth, but this is the first one we've found a relation to. The fact that it's from a tribe on the American continents is an amazing find."

"So what do you suggest, Dr. Jackson?" the General asked.

"Well, General, I think we need someone to go to P3S559 who knows the Crulean symbols and can translate. They may give us a clue as to the connection of the tribe to that planet."

"Let me guess, Daniel," Jack said sarcastically. "You just happen to have the perfect person in mind."

"Well, yes, I do as a matter of fact. The colleague I mentioned before, Blair Sandburg. Dr. Benjamin Schuster was the world's only expert in the Crulean language. Unfortunately, he died in a house fire four years ago that destroyed most of his research. During the dig, Blair worked exclusively on translating the symbols with Dr. Schuster. He may be the only one who can translate them."

"Would he really need to go to P3S559? Couldn't we just take pictures and have him translate them from that?" Jack asked

"I don't think so. If I remember correctly from Dr. Schuster's articles, the placement of the symbols in relation to one another and in relation to the surroundings is just as important as the symbols themselves. It would be better if Blair could actually see the obelisk."

"How well do you know this Blair Sandburg, Dr. Jackson? Can he be trusted with the secret of the Stargate project?"

"We met in graduate school. He was studying anthropology, which isn't a big jump from archeology. We had a few things in common. We were both the class outcasts. Our doctoral theses were a little…unusual. He's now a teaching fellow at Rainier University in Cascade, Washington. He is also working as an observer with the Cascade police department. And yes, I trust him."

"What is he observing?" Jack asked.

"Actually, I haven't quite figured that out yet. I thought that I could ask him that when I go to see him, assuming that you approve, General."

"Well, Dr. Jackson, let me run Mr. Sandburg through a background check first. Then I'll have to discuss this with the Secretary of Defense."

"I understand, General. In the meantime, I'll go back through the articles that Dr. Schuster wrote to verify my information."

"All right. Have Dr. Frasier check you over. Then all of you take a couple of days off. Dismissed."

5 days later-Cascade, Washington

Blair Sandburg was sitting in his office at Hargrove Hall, grading papers from his Anthro 101 class. He needed to post grades before leaving today. Then he could give his undivided attention to his partner, Jim Ellison, during his spring break. He absentmindedly reached for the phone at its ringing summons.

"Blair Sandburg."

"Blair, I don't know if you remember me, but this is Daniel Jackson."

Blair searched his memory and smiled as he remembered the man. "Daniel, yeah, I remember. How ya doing, man? It's been a long time."

Daniel laughed. "Yes, it has. I talked to Dr. Stoddard, and he gave me your number. How are you?"

"Doing great. So what have you been up to, man? For a while there, it seemed like you had vanished off the face of the earth."

Daniel laughed. "Yeah, it felt like that to me, too. Listen, the reason I called is that I'm in Cascade and wondered if we could get together for dinner? I've got something I'd like to discuss with you. Something I found during an expedition."

Unseen by Daniel, Blair's face lit up. The prospect of discussing archeology and an expedition with his old friend had him nearly bouncing in his seat. "Yeah, yeah, that'd be great, Daniel. When do you want to get together?"

"How about tonight? Name a place and we'll meet you there."

"We? You got a girlfriend with you, Daniel?" Daniel had always been a little bit shy around women.

"No, not a girl, Blair," Daniel said softly. Blair thought his voice sounded a little sad, but dismissed it as his imagination when Daniel's voice resumed its normal tone. "No, I mean my friend, Jack O'Neill. I'd like for you to meet him."

"That would be great, Daniel. I'd like you to meet my partner, Jim."

"Partner?"

"Well, kinda. I work with him at the police station. He's a detective. He's also my roommate."

"I heard that you were working with the police as an observer. What's that all about?"

"I'm doing a study for my dissertation: Ancient Warriors in Modern Times."

"What happened to your Sentinel thesis? You were so enthusiastic about finding a Sentinel."

Blair hesitated. "Finding a Sentinel is easier said than done. I want to get my Ph.D. sometime before I'm old and gray," he fudged. "Listen, Jim is due to pick me up in a little while, since my car is out of commission. Let me see how he feels, because he was in court all afternoon. I'll give you a call back as soon as I talk to him."

"Sounds good, Blair." Daniel rattled off the number of his hotel. "We'll be waiting for your call."

The two men said their good-byes. Blair set down the phone and looked back at the stack of papers on his desk. Whistling, suddenly in a good mood, he picked up the first file and dug into the stack.

Jim entered the office about an hour later, still dressed in the suit he'd worn to court. He'd left the tie in the truck. He grinned at the sight his partner made. Blair was sitting at his desk, humming with the jungle music playing in the background. Blair was practically bouncing in his seat, reminding Jim of a 3-year-old with a secret to tell.

"Hey, Chief."

Blair looked up at his partner, his face beaming. "Hey, Jim, how did it go in court?"

Jim rubbed his neck with his hand. "Long and tiring, Chief. From the look on your face, your day went a lot better. Something good happen?"

"Yeah, kinda. I got a call from an old colleague, Daniel Jackson. He and a friend are in town and want to get together for dinner. Daniel said he found something on an expedition that he wants to show me. What do you say?"

Jim sighed. He didn't really feel like going out, but Blair was looking at him with that 'please-I-promise-no-tests-for-a-month' look of his. Jim couldn't help but laugh. "How about they come over to the loft for dinner, Chief? I'm really not up to dealing with a restaurant full of people tonight. I think we have the fixings for lasagna."

"That sounds cool, Jim. Let me call Daniel and make plans. I just have to stop by and post these grades. Then I'm all yours for the next two weeks."

"Sounds good."

Blair was just taking the lasagna out of the oven when the two men arrived. Although Jim had been monitoring their progress from the parking lot, he allowed them to knock on the door before he opened it. Ever the cop, he quickly sized up both visitors. The first man was young with a slight build. He had sandy brown hair and was wearing glasses. He reminded Jim a little of Blair when his friend was in his 'professor' mode. This had to be Dr. Daniel Jackson. Jim could see the intelligence in those dark eyes, the hint of excitement, sort of like Blair when Jim exhibited something new with his senses. Jim grinned to himself. Having both men here tonight was gonna be interesting.

"Hi," the young man said, "Is Blair here?"

"Yeah, come on in," Jim said, opening the door wider, inviting both men inside. The second man was older, his stance straighter, more stiff. Jim knew military when he saw it.

"Daniel," Blair said, coming forward to shake Daniel's hand. "It's great to see you, man."

"Likewise, Blair. It's been a long time." He gestured to the other man with him. "This is my friend, Jack O'Neill. Jack, this is Blair Sandburg."

The other man's face softened as he smiled. "Good to meet you, Blair. Daniel's told me a lot about you."

"Well, I hope some of it was good."

"It was. Some of it was very interesting, too. Daniel mentioned something about a bet during a poker game…" Blair's face flushed as he took a sideways glance at his partner. Jim could hear his heartbeat pick up speed.

"Something you want to tell me about, Chief?" Jim asked, enjoying his partner's discomfort.

"No, no, Jim, not a thing. It, uh, wasn't important." He glanced at Daniel, his face flaming. "I can't believe you told anyone about that, man," he hissed.

Daniel looked at Blair sheepishly. "Sorry, Blair. It just kind of slipped out one night. Jack doesn't know the whole story, though."

"Great, that makes me feel _so_ much better." He glanced at Jim, who had a definite smirk on his face. He sighed, knowing that Jim wasn't going to let this go. But Blair would make his partner work at ferreting out the details of that little…escapade.

"This is my partner, Jim Ellison."

"Good to meet you both," he said, turning his attention away from his partner after gracing him with a 'we-_wil_l-discuss-this-later' look. Jim gestured towards the table. "Dinner is ready, so why don't we dig in and we'll talk about this 'find' you wanted to discuss with Blair later."

Blair chuckled. "You'll have to forgive Jim, he missed lunch today. He gets grumpy when he's hungry."

"And why did I miss lunch today, Chief? It couldn't have been the fact that I had to come pick you up because that hunk of junk you call a car broke down _again,_ would it? Then I had to rush off to get to court on time."

"Hey, my Volvo is a classic, man. It's just…temperamental."

"So is your partner, Junior. Remember that."

"Oooohhhh, I'm shaking in my shoes, buddy."

Daniel and Jack grinned at the by-play between the two men. Daniel thought that the camaraderie between Blair and his partner reminded him a little of his own friendship with Jack. He knew Blair hadn't had much male influence in his life, considering his upbringing. Jim seemed to fill a place in Blair's life that the younger man may not have even realized he was missing.

Jack was also thinking how similar the partnership between Jim and Blair paralleled his own friendship with Daniel. It was good to see. He'd read Ellison's file as well as Blair's. He'd been impressed with Ellison's skills, both with the Army and with the police department. He took a deep sniff and rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Well, dinner smells great. I agree with Jim, let's dig in. I, for one, am starving."

The four men were soon seated around the table, food disappearing quickly. What conversation there was stayed on trivial things, like the weather and the Jags latest winning streak. Jack engaged Jim in a discussion on the attributes of ice hockey versus basketball, the two men defending their favorite sport with enthusiasm.

Once dinner was finished, Jim started to clear the table. "Chief, why don't you see if our guests want something to drink. I'll get these soaking and we can hear what Daniel has to say."

"Cool," his partner replied. "Hey, Daniel, Jack, you guys want a beer or something?"

Getting the requested beers, and digging out two more for himself and Jim, Blair settled on the couch next to Daniel. "So, Daniel, what was it you wanted to show me? You said it was something you found on an expedition?"

Daniel glanced at Jack, who gave an almost imperceptible nod. Daniel pulled out several photos and handed them over to Blair. Glancing quickly at the pictures, Blair put on his glasses to get a closer look. Jim could feel Blair's heartbeat pick up as the younger man studied the pictures. When he looked up, his eyes shining, Jim figured that whatever the pictures showed, it must be pretty amazing.

"Do you recognize the symbols, Blair?" Daniel asked him.

"Oh, yeah. Be kinda hard to mistake them."

"What's up, Darwin?" Jim asked his partner.

"Oh, man, Jim, this is incredible. The writing on this is Crulean."

Jim reached for the pictures that Blair handed him. "Crulean?"

Blair nodded. "The Crulee are a South American tribe that disappeared more than a thousand years ago. Supposedly, their territory was huge. It even included the land that the Chopec now live on."

Jim was stunned. "Chopec? Are you sure?"

"Positive. Not much is known about the Crulee, except for scattered references from other tribes in the rainforest, and what info was found about ten years ago when a Crulee village was uncovered in western Brazil. I worked on that excavation." He looked closer at one of the pictures. "Uh, Daniel, not all of these symbols are Crulean." He pointed out a few symbols in the picture. "I'm not sure what language these are."

Daniel looked at the symbols Blair pointed out. "I don't recognize them, either."

Jim noticed something familiar. He held out a hand. "May I?" He took the picture and looked closely. "They're Chopec."

"What?" Blair looked more closely. "Do you know what they mean?"

"I think so." He pointed to one of them. "This portion mentions something about false gods." He and Blair were looking at the picture and missed the look that Jack and Daniel exchanged.

"Daniel, were all of these symbols found together?"

"Yes. They were all on an obelisk that we found."

"I'm assuming that you want me to translate?"

"Yes. You probably know that Dr. Schuster died." Blair nodded. He'd been saddened to hear about the man's death. "Most of his notes burned in that fire. During that dig, you were the only one that worked with him deciphering the symbols. You're our best hope for translating what's on this obelisk."

"But it's not all Crulean. I won't be able to translate all of it."

Daniel adjusted his glasses. "That is something we hadn't anticipated. We'll have to find someone that can translate the Chopec portions. And now we have the possibly that some of the symbols may not be either Crulean or Chopec."

Jack interrupted. "Ellison, assuming we could clear you, would you be willing to go with us and translate the Chopec portions?"

Jim frowned. "I'm not an archeologist."

"But you know the Chopec language. Could you translate?"

Jim thought before answering. Going on a dig in the middle of nowhere wasn't his idea of a good time, but he'd be able to keep an eye on Blair. Although it could just be a side hobby, the fact that Jack was probably military raised a lot of questions about his business with this dig. "Possibly."

Blair broke in. "Not that Jim wouldn't do a great job, and I'd love to have him along, but the university might have someone else they want to translate Chopec."

"Actually Blair, I think the ones funding this would go for it. With Jim not being a researcher, he'd have no interest in writing any articles about his findings. That's one of the stipulations of your involvement in this expedition. You won't be able to write anything about it."

Blair frowned. "But most universities want articles written. Especially on a find like this. What's going on, Daniel?"

Daniel cleared his throat. "This expedition isn't being funded by a university, Blair."

"Who is funding it? The military?" Jim asked, glancing at Jack.

"What makes you think the military is involved, Jim?" O'Neill asked with raised eyebrows.

"If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck…"

"Daniel, you're working for the military?" Blair asked his old colleague. "Did you join one of the branches?"

"No, Blair," Daniel replied. "I'm a civilian expert working with the US Air Force. I got involved with this project several years ago."

"What project?"

"I'm sorry, Blair, but the project is classified. I can't discuss it with you right now."

"Will details of this project explain how someone who studied the Egyptian pyramid builders found something on a South American rain forest tribe?"

"Yeah, it will."

"When will you be able to discuss this project with me?"

"If you agree to help us out, we'll travel to our headquarters. You'll be fully briefed then."

"What exactly would be entailed if Blair and I go on this mission?" Blair's eyebrows rose at Jim's phrasing, but he kept quiet, letting his partner take the lead.

"You'd return with us to headquarters for a full briefing. Then we'd travel to where this rock is. You'd translate what you could, then you'd return here." Jack said

"It's an obelisk, Jack," Daniel said. "Not a rock."

Jack made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "Looked like a rock to me, Danny."

"How long would we be gone?" Blair asked.

"As long as it takes to translate, I guess."

"How many people would be involved in the expedition?"

"The actual expedition would consist of myself, Daniel, the other two members of my team, and the two of you."

"You said we'd travel to where the obelisk is. Will we need our passports? And can we bring our weapons." Jim wanted to know.

"No to the passports. Yes to the weapons." Jack broke in. "Although, we don't expect any trouble. The area where this obelisk," he threw a glance at Daniel, "was discovered is deserted."

Jim snorted. "If Blair goes along, you better be prepared for World War III. Sandburg attracts trouble no matter where goes."

"Jim, that's not funny. Just because that one camping trip went bad…"

"And the prisoner exchange where you got shot, the monastery, the basketball game. Shall I continue?" Jim smirked at Blair's expression.

Blair turned his attention back to Jack and Daniel. "One last question. I know this is a military operation, but I don't have to cut my hair, do I?"

"Chief!"

"Well, I gotta protect the hair, Jim."

Daniel and Jack were both laughing. "No, Blair," Daniel said. "Civilians aren't required to adhere to the military codes."

"Well, that's good to know." He glanced at Jim, then back and Daniel and Jack. "Listen, can we have a day or so to think about this? It's a big decision. Jim and I need to talk about it."

"Sure, Blair. We have to clear bringing Ellison along anyway. Why don't you give us a call in a day or so? We'll be at the hotel until then."

The two men took their leave. Jim closed and locked the door behind them. He glanced over at his partner, who was sitting on the couch. "Well, it's been quite an eventful night, huh, Chief."

"Yeah, Jim. Are you sure you're okay with this? I mean, I know this isn't your idea of a good time."

"Shouldn't be too bad, Chief. We'll still be camping out, right?"

The next morning, both men went directly to Simon's office when they arrived at the station. Simon called out for them to enter in response to Jim's knock.

"Morning, Sir," Jim said. "Can we talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure, Jim, come on in. Like a cup of coffee? It's a new blend, Mint Hazelnut."

"Sounds great. I forgot to buy more last night, so neither of us got our morning fix yet," Jim replied.

Simon grabbed the small coffeepot behind his desk and poured each man a cup. "So, what brings you two here so early?"

"We didn't get much sleep last night, Simon," Blair replied. "I've been offered a chance to do some archeology research, and Jim and I stayed up last night discussing the pros and cons of going. And I want to do it."

Simon leaned forward and leaned his arms on his desk. "And how did this come about, Sandburg? And what will you be doing?"

Blair explained the circumstances that he had of the offer. "We don't have all the details yet. I haven't given them my answer yet, and until I do, most of the details are classified."

Simon frowned. He didn't like the sound of that. "Classified. Why the hell would an archeological dig be classified?"

Blair took a deep breath. Simon was protective of his men, and he knew the older man wasn't going to like this. "Because the expedition is being funded by the military, Simon."

"What!" Simon stood up and walked around to the front of his desk. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the two men. "Explain how you, of all people Sandburg, would willingly go into a situation controlled by the military?"

Blair beamed. "Simple. Jim's going with me."

Simon glanced at Jim. "Is this true, Jim?"

"Yep."

Simon waited, but Jim didn't say anything more. "You're going to make me ask, are you, Jim?"

Jim grinned up at his captain. "Relax, Simon. This thing also has some Chopec symbols on it. Blair can't translate those, but I can. I did some checking last night with some old Army buddies. They checked on this Jack O'Neill that we met last night. Everything seems on the level."

Simon still looked worried. "Not that I doubt Sandburg's abilities, but are you sure that this isn't just a ruse, Jim? Maybe they know about your abilities and are hoping to catch you off guard. Letting you think you're helping them, and then you both disappear."

"Actually, Jim and I both thought of that, Simon. We have no idea who Brackett might have talked to," Blair said, reminding Simon of the rogue government agent that knew about Jim's sentinel abilities. Lee Brackett had blackmailed Jim and Blair, trying to force them to help him steal an experimental military plane. Thankfully, Jim had been able to stop the man, who was still serving a federal sentence.

"And?" Simon asked.

"I don't believe this is going to be a problem, Simon. I didn't detect any outright lies from either man last night. They were telling the truth, just not all of it. That isn't unusual, since they can't tell us the classified stuff yet. My instincts tell me that this is on the level."

"And if you're wrong, Jim?"

Jim pulled out a thick envelope from the pocket of his jacket. "Then you take this and call Jack Kelso, Simon." Jack was a friend of Blair's from Rainier University. The man was also an ex-CIA operative. He and Jim had forged a bond due to both men's fondness of and protectiveness for Blair. Jim knew Kelso could be trusted to help Simon.

Simon accepted the envelope, but didn't take is eyes off of Jim. "What exactly is in here, Jim?"

"Information that the government sure as hell doesn't want the public to find out. If we aren't back in Cascade in six weeks, take that envelope to Jack. Have him use his contacts to tell the government that if we aren't returned unharmed, then within two weeks, the originals of those are going to be automatically downloaded to the computer databases of every newspaper in the country. It's not something that you can stop; only Blair and I can. And it will take both of us to stop it."

Simon whistled. "Damn, Ellison, you don't play around do you? How dangerous is it for you to try blackmailing the United States government?"

"About as dangerous as it would be for them to fuck with the Sentinel and his Guide," Jim stated evenly.

A few hours later, Daniel Jackson was sitting in his hotel room when a knock sounded on the door. He looked up, startled. Jack O'Neill came out from the bathroom, wiping off his face with a towel.

"You expecting anyone, Danny boy?"

"No. Maybe it's Blair."

Grabbing his gun out of its holster, he walked to the door and looked out the peephole. Spotting two familiar faces, he opened the door. "Blair, Jim. Come on in." he said, letting the men close the door. He put his gun back and turned to face the men.

"Hi, guys." Blair said.

"Blair," Daniel said, taking off his glasses and standing up from the bed. "I, uh, I assume you're here to tell us your decision."

"Yeah. Jim and I talked about this all night. And I wanna do this, Daniel. I'm in."

"What about you, Jim?" O'Neill asked him.

"Oh, you bet I'm going."

"Good. We've talked to our commanding officer, who did a complete background check on you. Everything's cleared on our end. Will you both be able to get the time off?"

"Well, I'm on spring break for the next two weeks. After that, I'll just need to keep the university updated."

"And I talked to my superior, Captain Banks, this morning. I have enough personal time, and I'm not in the middle of any pressing cases right now. He'll reassign the ones that can't wait until my return."

"Good," O'Neill said. "It'll be good to have you along."

"I bet," Jim replied sardonically. "Just keep one thing in mind, Jack. I'm not military anymore. I'll pull my weight on this expedition, and I'll bow to your orders as team leader up to a point. But my main focus will be Blair's protection. I won't compromise on that."

Jack O'Neill studied Jim closely, then sighed. "Agreed."

Blair grinned and then bounced back and forth on the balls of his feet. "Well, now that that's settled, when do we leave?"

The helicopter ride from Cascade to Joint Base Lewis McChord was mercifully short, and both Blair and Jim slept most of the flight to Lowry AFB outside Denver. Both men had stayed late at the station the night before to finish up paperwork before leaving and were exhausted.

It wasn't until they got into Jack's Jeep Cherokee that Blair realized that the last leg of this trip was going to be the longest. He knew it the minute Jack popped a CD into the deck and Black Magic Woman started blasting out of the speakers. Jim's face took on an almost blissful expression as his fingers started tapping to the beat. Both he and Jack took up the chorus.

_Turn your back on me baby_

_Turn your back on me baby_

_ Yes, don't turn your back on me baby_

_ Stop messin' around with your tricks_

_ Don't turn your back on me baby_

You just might pick up my magic sticks

Blair groaned and wished he had access to Jim's earplugs. Jim and Jack had more in common than their military backgrounds. They were also both tone-deaf. The sound of both men was worse than fingernails on a chalkboard. If Santana could have heard either man, he'd have hung up his guitar permanently.

Daniel smiled over at Blair, sitting in the back seat with him. "You, too? I swear, Jack thinks no one else ever played a note of music before or since Santana."

"Are you criticizing my musical taste again, Danny boy?"

Daniel smiled at O'Neill. "Would I do that to you, Jack?"

"In a heartbeat, kid." He glanced over at Jim. "Kids today have no taste in music. They think that if you can understand the lyrics, there's something wrong with it. Now this," he said, as he turned up the volume slightly, "this is real music."

"Have you heard his new one yet?" Jim asked.

"Oh, yeah. Sweet."

"I think 'Smooth' is my favorite from that CD."

"Yeah, that's a good one. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to pick up a copy of it yet."

Jim turned around to his partner. "Hey, Chief, go into the side pocket of my duffel bag. I stuffed 'Supernatural' in there."

Blair smirked at his partner. "Sorry, Jim, but I took it out last night. I wanted to see if you could get through an entire trip without Santana."

"The answer is no. That's why I put it back this morning." Now Jim was the one smirking.

"What? How did you find it?"

Jim shrugged. "I'm a detective, Chief. I detected. You'll have to do better than hiding it in a strong box, wrapping it up in a blanket and stuffing it in a box behind my footlocker in the storage room downstairs, huh?"

Blair just shook his head and laughed. Realizing that he'd been bested, he reached back and grabbed the CD Jim had requested. Soon, the melodious sounds of guitar riffs filled the Cherokee.

'Smooth' was playing for the third time as they were pulling up to the gate that led to the Cheyenne Mountain complex. The young airman that was patrolling the gate saw a sight that no one hearing his story later would believe. In the front seat, Colonel O'Neill was drumming his fingers against the steering wheel in time to the loud music coming from the Cherokee's speakers and out the open window. A large, tough looking dude next to him in the front seat was pretending that the dashboard was a set of drums. In the back seat, some longhaired guy was bouncing in time to the music. Next to him, _Dr. Jackson_, of all people, was doing a pretty mean air-guitar. The colonel and his front seat companion were singing, off-key, to the music.

_And if you say this life ain't good enough_

_ I would give my world to lift you up_

_ I could change my life to better suit your mood_

_Cause you're so smooth_

_ And it's just like the ocean under the moon_

_ Well that's the same as the emotion that I get from you_

_ You got the kind of lovin that can be so smooth_

_ Gimme your heart, make it real _

_ Or else forget about it_

The guard stared for a minute, jaw dropping, before he remembered military protocols. Snapping to attention, he saluted his superior officer. "Colonel O'Neill, welcome…"

He trailed off when the Colonel put up a hand to halt him. He and his companions finished bopping to the music. When the song ended, O'Neill turned down the volume and smiled up at the young man, returning his salute. "Sorry, son. Didn't want to interrupt the song."

"Yes, sir. Whatever you say, sir."

"You should have the names Jim Ellison and Blair Sandburg on your list," the colonel said. The guard nodded, checked the colonel's ID, then those of the passengers. He motioned for his partner to open the gate. O'Neill nodded and drove through, heading deeper into the complex. The entire process was repeated three more times. At the final gate, the guard handed Colonel O'Neill two badges, which were handed to Jim and Blair.

"Gentlemen," the guard said, "Please make sure you are wearing these at all times."

"Thanks, Jonesy. I'll inform them as to off-limits areas. By the way, is the poker game still on for tonight?"

"Yes, sir, Colonel. You joining us?"

"Probably. Mind if my friends tag along?"

"The more the merrier, sir. A Colonel's money, civilian's money; it all spends the same." Jack laughed. The guard stepped back from the car and waved them through as the gate opened, allowing them entrance.

Once the vehicle had been parked, Jim and Blair exited and both stretched. "Poker, huh?" Jim said to Jack. "Ah, the military. Some things never change." He reached into the back of the Cherokee and grabbed Blair's bag. Handing it to his partner, he then grabbed his own. They followed O'Neill and Jackson into the complex.

Once in the elevators, they headed down to the sublevels that would carry them to the headquarters. Jim suddenly swayed and leaned against the elevator walls.

"Jim, man, you okay?" Blair asked.

"Yeah, Chief. Just got a little dizzy there for a moment."

When Daniel and Jack turned their attention back to the descending floor numbers, Blair murmured under his breath, just loud enough for his Sentinel to hear. "Something with your senses?" Jim nodded slightly. "Try and dial down the tactile response, Jim. Take it down to 2."

Jim did as Blair instructed. Blair knew it had worked when Jim relaxed slightly. All of this was done without drawing the attention of the other two men.

Jim turned his attention to O'Neill. "So, what's first, Jack?"

"Daniel will take you to your quarters to drop off your stuff. Meantime, I'll let General Hammond know that we're back. After that, it's probably going to be a trip to the infirmary. Doc Frasier will want to do physicals on both of you. Then I'll give you both a tour of the facility, and show you where you can and can't go. Rule of thumb, don't go anywhere without one of us."

They went their separate ways when the elevator doors opened. After dropping off their bags, Daniel led them down several corridors to the infirmary.

They were examined by an attractive woman that Daniel introduced as Dr. Frasier. Much to Jim's amusement, she managed to sidestep all of Blair's less-than-subtle flirting attempts. Jack came in halfway through one of these sidesteps, his grin unsuccessfully hidden.

Once the doctor finished, Jack said. "The general is ready for our briefing. Follow me."

Trailing along behind Daniel and Jack, Jim warned Blair. "This isn't Simon, okay Chief. This man is a general and used to being treated accordingly. He may not have Simon's sense of humor."

Blair nodded. "Gotcha, Jim. No flip remarks, no obfuscations." Daniel smiled as Blair quickly pulled back his hair and put on his glasses. Before they reached the double doors leading to the conference room, Blair looked professional and every inch the academic.

Knocking on the doors, Jack heard General Hammond's response. Opening the doors, he entered, followed closely by Daniel, Jim and Blair. General Hammond was seated at the head of the conference table. Jack moved to stand next to him. The others stopped just inside the door.

"General," Daniel said, "this is Blair Sandburg and Jim Ellison. Guys, this is General Hammond. He's in charge of the complex and the project."

Although he didn't salute the man, Jim unconsciously slipped into military mode. His back straightened, he placed his feet slightly apart and he placed his hands behind his back. Blair recognized the position as Jim's 'parade rest' stance. Blair tried to duplicate it, although he wasn't able to pull it off as well as Jim. O'Neill hid a smile with his hand.

General Hammond eyed both men, then stood and offered his hand. "Gentleman, welcome."

After shaking hands, General Hammond gestured that everyone should sit. "It will be just a few minutes, gentleman. We're still waiting for Captain Carter to arrive."

"Captain Carter?" Blair asked.

"She's one of the other members of my team, Blair," O'Neill interjected. "The fourth member is off on a mission with another team, and should be back in a couple of hours."

"Cool."

The general pushed a paper across the table to each of the men. "In the meantime, I need for each of you to sign these."

Jim picked up his copy. "What's this?"

"It a Non-disclosure statement. Simply put, it means that you won't talk about anything you see, hear or experience during this mission to _anyone_ outside of my command."

Blair glanced at Jim, who shrugged and gave his partner a reassuring smile. "Standard procedure, Chief. Especially for civilians." Jim read it over quickly, and then signed it. Blair followed suit.

Retrieving the forms, General Hammond stated, "Well, as soon as Captain Carter arrives, we can begin your briefing."

No sooner had he said that then a knock sounded at the door. After receiving permission to enter, the door opened to admit a fit blonde woman wearing fatigues. She closed the door behind her, smiling as both Jim and Blair rose at her entrance.

"Sorry I'm late, General, Colonel. Here are the reports you asked for, sir," she said, handing several files to her commanding officer.

"Thank you, Captain," the general said, and then made the introductions.

After shaking hands with the newcomers, Captain Carter grabbed one of the vacant seats. "Welcome to the SGC, gentleman."

"SGC?" Blair asked.

"Yes," General Hammond replied. "It stands for Stargate Command."

Blair and Jim exchanged glances. "Stargate?" Blair asked. "What's that?"

The general touched a button near his chair, and part of the wall behind him started to rise, revealing a bank of windows. Jim and Blair both walked towards the window, staring down in to the room below. There, they saw a large, metal circle about twenty feet in diameter, with a ramp leading up to it.

"That's the Stargate?" Jim asked. "What does it do?"

"It allows us to travel to other worlds." The general's matter-of-fact tone had both men blinking, unsure if they had heard correctly.

Daniel came up to stand next to Blair. "Blair, you said a couple of days ago, that it seemed like I'd fallen off the face of the earth. Well, in reality I did. I spent over a year living on another planet called Abydos. I met a native woman during a mission and I married her." He nodded to the Stargate. "That's how we got there."

"Why are you showing this to us? What does this," Blair gestured toward the gate, "have to do with translating Crulean and Chopec symbols?"

"Because the obelisk isn't on Earth, Blair. It's on a planet we've designated P3S559," Daniel explained. "That makes translating the obelisk that much more important. We want to find the connection between that planet and the Crulee people."

Blair just stared from Daniel to the gate and back again, shocked. The general cleared his throat, startling him. "Why don't we all sit down, gentleman, and we'll explain."

The briefing took more than an hour, during which time Jim and Blair learned about the finding of the Stargate in Giza in 1928, the first trip to Abydos, and the attack which had prompted the government to put the Stargate into active use. They also learned about the biggest threat faced by the SG teams, the Goa'uld.

"So these creatures, these Goa'uld, take over a person's body?"

"Yes. They've been using human hosts for thousands of years. It's a symbiotic relationship, but not always voluntary. With the 'System Lords', it definitely isn't. It's like living in your body, but watching what an alter ego is doing. You have no control."

Jim took a long look at Sam. "Sounds like you're speaking from personal experience, Captain. And what do you mean, 'not always voluntary'?"

"It's Sam. And I am. A while back, I was taken over by a Goa'uld for a short while. Luckily, it happened to be a member of the Tok'ra, and Jolinar, the Goa'uld, gave up her life for me."

"What's the Tok'ra?" Blair asked.

"They are Goa'uld, except that they don't take unwilling hosts. And they are dedicated to destroying the other Goa'uld, the ones that call themselves the System Lords."

"How long have these creatures been taking human hosts?" Blair asked.

Daniel took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "One of the most powerful System Lords was name Ra."

"Ra? As in the Egyptian sun god? That Ra?"

Daniel nodded. "We've since found out that most of the ancient Egyptian gods were actually Goa'uld. Hathor, Set, Osiris…"

"So these Goa'uld used the gate to visit Earth and capture hosts and slaves until it was buried?" Jim asked.

"Yes."

The phone next to General Hammond buzzed. He answered and had a short conversation. Hanging up the phone, he pushed back from the table and stood. "Gentleman, I'm afraid I must go. I have another debriefing to see to. Blair, Jim, take a few hours to think about all this. You are in no way obligated to go on this mission. It's a very dangerous universe out there. No one will think less of you if you decide not to do this." With those words, General Hammond left.

"I have a question," Blair said. "What's it like, going through this Stargate. I mean, are there lights, sounds, what?" Jim knew that Blair wasn't asking these questions for himself, but for Jim. He wanted to know if this trip would affect his Sentinel.

Daniel and Sam explained how it felt to go through the Stargate, while Blair's mind raced, trying to figure out how or if these sensations would affect Jim.

"Well, I think the General had the right idea," Daniel said, polishing his glasses off. "Listen, how about a break? We could go grab some food, then finish our tour."

Jim looked at his partner. Blair was pale and shaky, but his vitals were okay. "Yeah, okay. Food sounds good. Chief?"

"Huh? Oh, sure, food."

Everyone moved out the door. Blair took one last look out at the Stargate, then followed.

After lunch, the group had split up. Carter excused herself, saying she had an experiment that she needed to check on. Daniel decided to show Blair some of the wonderful artifacts they had found on their journeys. Jack decided to show Jim around the base. Eventually, they headed to the weapons room.

"What time is your other team member due back?"

Jack looked at his watch. "Teal'c should be back by now."

"Teal'c? I've heard some odd names before, but that's a new one."

"Well, he's an unusual guy."

"But you trust him." It wasn't a question.

"Yes. He gave up everything to join SG-1. He's saved our butts more than once." Standing aside as several soldiers passed by, he missed seeing the odd look that crossed Jim's face, or noticed as Jim's head tilted slightly to one side.

When they entered the weapons room, they found a soldier putting away some weapons. Jim looked at the man, noting the very un-military decoration on the man's forehead. Teal'c looked up when the men entered. He stared at Jim, then slowly started to back away from the man. "Ka'tu."

Jack watched as his normally fearless friend tried to edge further and further away from Jim, when Sam popped her head in. "Colonel, the general wants to see you." She looked around the room. "What's happening?"

"I'm not sure. Teal'c?" he asked his friend, who was still staring at Jim. Jim was watching Teal'c warily.

Before he could get any kind of answer, he heard Daniel and Blair talking enthusiastically in the corridor. If O'Neill thought Teal'c's behavior before was odd, what happened next was totally out of character for the Jaffa.

Blair walked into the room, Daniel right behind him. "Jim, you ought to see some of the stuff they've found." Before anyone could blink, in the corner Teal'c gasped and dropped to his knees, repeating the same phrase. "Shuk'la. Nos efu sotun Ka'tu." The jaffa was so shaken, that he had unconsciously slipped back into speaking Chulak.

"Daniel, who is that?" Blair asked. "What's he saying?"

"That's Teal'c," Daniel said, confusion marring his features. "He's saying 'Companion. I didn't harm the Guardian.'"

Jim and Blair exchanged glances, Jim shrugging his shoulders. His head tilted slightly. Blair recognized this movement, but couldn't ask Jim what he sensed. He knew his friend would tell him later, when it was safe to talk.

Sam reached out to Teal'c. "Teal'c, it's okay, they're friends. Come on, get up now."

The jaffa refused to move. He muttered something in Chulak. Daniel had to translate. "He said he won't get up until the companion says he can." Daniel looked at them. "I think he means you, Blair. I think he's afraid of you."

"Me?" the man in question squeaked.

Both Jack and Sam stopped to look at the short curly-haired young man standing next to his large, muscular and well-trained partner. "He's afraid of Blair?" Jack asked incredulously.

Daniel decided to test his theory. "Blair, this is Teal'c, our teammate. Could you tell him that it's okay to get up?"

Blair glanced at Jim, who was watching Teal'c intently. Jim's expression reminded Blair of his partner's stony gaze while interrogating a suspect. "Um, Teal'c, you can get up. It's okay."

Everyone watched as Teal'c slowly rose to his feet, keeping his eyes down. "Shuk'la, your ka'tu has nothing to fear from me."

"Uh, okay."

Sam decided to try and get things back on an even keel. "Colonel, the general would like to see you. And Dr. Frasier needs to see Teal'c."

"Yeah, okay, Carter," Jack said to her. Teal'c quickly left the room, making sure to keep his back to the wall until he got to the door. Jack watched him go, questions dancing around his head about what had just occurred. Under his breath, he muttered, "You won't get off that easy, my friend. We will discuss what happened here." Looking back at the two men that seemed to be at the center of it, he left the room, followed by Sam.

Once they were alone with Daniel, Jim said, "Daniel, I'm a little tired. I think I'm going to head back to my room and grab a quick nap."

"Yeah, me too, man." Blair quickly chimed in.

"Huh?" Daniel said absently. "Oh, sure." He showed the men back to their rooms and stared thoughtfully as they closed the door behind them. Something weird was going on here, given Teal'c's reaction to Blair. Daniel headed to his room, his steps quick and confident. He needed to do some digging. And he needed to talk to Teal'c.

When they closed the door to their room, Blair started to say something, but Jim held up a hand. His head tilted to the side. Blair recognized the action and realized that Jim was using his hearing to scan for listening devices. When his partner nodded, Blair knew none had been found and it was okay to talk.

"Jim, what's going on? You sensed something about that guy, Teal'c. What's up?"

"And I wish I could explain it. Something's off, but I can't put my finger on it. But that guy makes my skin crawl."

Blair guided Jim to his bunk, and urged the man to sit down. He pulled up a chair from the corner and turned it backwards, straddling it and facing his partner. "Okay, Jim. Take a deep breath and relax."

"Chief, I'm really not in the mood for a meditation exercise right now."

Blair put a hand on Jim's shoulder, forestalling his effort to get up. "Look, Jim. Something about this guy is making you edgy. We need to figure out what it is. Because this guy is a member of their team, and he's gonna be with us on this expedition. So if there's a problem, we need to pinpoint it and deal with it before we leave."

"Chief…"

"Jim, we are going to be traveling halfway across the galaxy with these people. We're going to have to rely on them. Now if we can figure out what it is about this Teal'c guy that is creeping you out, the better it will be in the long run. Unless…" Blair hesitated, "unless you've changed your mind and don't wanna go." He finished softly.

It didn't take sentinel hearing to detect the disappointment in the young man's words. Jim sighed. This was an opportunity that his friend would never get again. Even if he forgot the formation and symbols that were the focus of the expedition, just the chance to visit another planet_,_ for God's sake, was enough to send the young man into, pardon the pun, orbit. Even if he'd never be able to tell anyone about it. Jim couldn't do that to his friend and partner without a damn good reason. So Blair was right, as usual. He needed to figure out why Teal'c was 'creeping him out.'

"Okay, Chief. How do we figure out what the deal is?"

Blair smiled. "Take a deep breath. Relax and close your eyes. Now, think back to the first time you felt that something was off with Teal'c. Where were you?"

"I had just entered the weapons room. He looked up…no, it was before then. In the hallway. Jack and I were talking about Teal'c, about how Jack trusted him. I sensed something weird, but wasn't sure where it was coming from. Then we entered the room and Teal'c looked up and…I felt…weird."

"Weird, how? What sense were you using? Hearing, smell? What was triggered?"

"I heard…heartbeats." Jim's eyes popped open as he realized what he'd heard. "I heard two separate heartbeats coming from Teal'c!"

"Two? Are you sure?"

"Positive. Before we got to the room, I heard two heartbeats, but only heard one person breathing."

"What happened when you got into the room?"

"He looked up, then started backing away from me. It's like he was wary of me. It wasn't until you showed up that he showed any fear. Daniel was right, you know."

Blair was confused. "About what?"

"About Teal'c. He was afraid of you. Very afraid."

Blair looked closely at his partner and saw the calculating expression on his face. "Jim? What are you thinking?"

Jim held up a hand and went to the door. Catching the attention of a passing airman, he asked, "Excuse me, could you see if someone could find Teal'c? I need to talk to him." The young man agreed and Jim closed the door and turned back to his partner. "I'm thinking that we need answers. And Teal'c may be the one to provide them."

Jim heard Teal'c coming, but allowed him to knock on the door before opening it. Teal'c stepped into the room, but was as nervous as an addict going through withdrawal. He refused to meet either Jim or Blair's eyes, and stayed near the door. He actually flinched when Blair took a step toward him. Jim grinned, seeing the expression on his partner's face. No one had ever considered Blair a threat before, unless you counted failing anthropology students. His friend was not sure how to handle this situation, and looked to Jim for help. Jim just shrugged, earning an exasperated glance from Blair. He leaned back, content to let his partner do the talking for now. He used his senses to monitor Teal'c.

"Uh, hi, Teal'c, right?"

The man nodded slightly. "Shuk'la, ponte eks…"

"Teal'c," Blair interrupted, "Could we stick to English? I don't speak…your language."

"I am sorry, I meant no disrespect." 

"None taken." Blair smiled and tried to put the man at ease. "We would like to talk to you about what happened earlier. Jim and I are a little confused. Would you mind answering some questions?"

"I will try, Shuk'la."

"The name's Blair, Blair Sandburg," he said with a smile. "This is Jim Ellison. Please, have a seat." Teal'c looked up at that, studying the young man closely. Whatever he saw must have satisfied him, because Jim saw him visibly relax. He took the seat offered to him.

"What exactly are you, Teal'c? You're not from Earth, are you?" Blair said.

"No, I am Jaffa. Before joining SG-1, I was first prime of Apophis. I am from the planet Chulak."

Jim and Blair exchanged glances. They remembered what O'Neill and the others had told them about the Jaffa. That explained why Jim had heard two heartbeats. Teal'c was carrying around a young Goa'uld in his body.

"O'Neill said that you had been told of the Goa'uld. The Jaffa are their guards, their soldiers. I led Apophis' Serpent Guards."

"Who is Apophis?" Jim asked, intrigued.

"He is one of the more powerful of the System Lords."

"And you led his army?"

"That is correct, Jim Ellison." Teal'c said.

"So you were basically in charge of the armies of a very powerful Goa'uld?" Jim asked. "What made you give that up to join SG-1?"

"My people have been enslaved by the Goa'uld for generations. They do not want to see that their 'gods' are an evil that must be destroyed. When I encountered SG-1, I saw an ally that could show my people how to fight. I saw a people that refused to bow down to the Goa'uld. I saw a people that I would be proud to fight with. It is a decision that I have not regretted."

Jim heard more than Teal'c's words. He heard the depths of the Jaffa's commitment to SG-1. Jim was impressed. That, more than anything else he had seen, said a lot about O'Neill and his team. That made him feel a little better about accompanying these people to another planet. Especially when his guide was going with him. Speaking of guides…

"You call me Shuk'la before." Blair was getting back on track. "And you called Jim 'Ka'tu'. What do those words mean?"

"Shuk'la is 'companion'. Ka'tu is 'guardian'."

When Teal'c didn't elaborate further, Blair threw a glance at Jim. Jim just motioned him to keep going. He sighed. "Why do you call us that, Teal'c? What do you know about us?"

"I know you are the companion of the guardian," he said, motioning to Jim. "All Jaffa know to be wary of the guardian and his companion. Especially of the companion."

"Why?" Jim said.

"There is a story among the Jaffa of a companion that came to protect his guardian. Many Jaffa attempted to stop the companion. Many Jaffa died."

Blair's eyes got wide. "Protect the guardian from what?"

"The Goa'uld that had taken possession of his body."

"Will you tell me the story?"

"If you wish."

"Please. Do you mind if I take notes? I'm an anthropologist, and I don't want to forget a word of this."

"What is an anthropologist?" Teal'c asked.

"It's someone who studies other cultures. How they lived, how they evolved."

"Like Dr. Jackson."

"Sort of. The fields of anthropology and archeology are very similar. But please, go on with the story."

Blair and Jim listened intently as Teal'c told them a story of a minor system lord named Hecue. Hecue had taken possession of a host with special powers. Once in control, Hecue seemed to know things. He heard conversations that occurred when he wasn't in the room. He knew that an assassin had poisoned his food before he ate any of it. He saw things that it should have been impossible for him to see.

Jim got close enough to whisper in Blair's ear. "You think this 'host' was a Sentinel?"

"It would make sense," Blair mumbled. He turned to back to Teal'c. "What happened to this host and the companion?"

"Hecue started acting unstable, and his people feared for their lives constantly. In the meantime, the companion had somehow found out what had happened to his guardian and traveled through the Stargate. He attacked Hecue's stronghold. He made his way to Hecue's inner chamber. No one is sure what occurred in the inner chamber, but Hecue's Jaffa guards found the Goa'uld symbiot dead. The host-guardian and his companion fought their way back to the Stargate and disappeared. But Hecue and half of his jaffa guards were dead. Because of two men, the guardian and his companion."

"Why do you think that we are guardian and companion?" Blair asked.

Teal'c looked slightly perplexed. "I do not know how I knew that you were Shuk'la and Ka'tu, Blair, Blair Sandburg. It was just something I knew when I saw you."

"More importantly, what do you plan to do with the information?" Jim inquired.

"Do?" Teal'c asked.

"Yes. Are you planning to inform your teammates about what you know?"

"I can if you wish me to."

"No!" Blair said vehemently. "No, don't do that."

Teal'c blinked. "Very well."

Blair tried to explain. "It just that, if the wrong people found out, it could be very bad."

"Then we should not tell the wrong people," the alien replied calmly.

Blair chuckled harshly. "The only problem is, we don't always know who the wrong people are, Teal'c."

"Explain."

"There are people, unfortunately some in our own government, who would love to get their hands on a guardian or a companion. They would try to use us as weapons, or study us for their own purposes. And the assholes wouldn't much care if we agreed to that or not."

Teal'c nodded somberly. "Maybourne."

"What?" Blair asked.

"Colonel Maybourne is one such…asshole. If not for the orders of General Hammond, I would have disemboweled him long ago." The matter-of-fact way Teal'c stated this had both Jim and Blair biting back grins.

"Major asshole, huh?" Blair asked.

Teal'c shook his head. "No, he is a Colonel."

Jim snorted. "But you get our meaning, Teal'c. If this Maybourne or someone like him were to find out about us…well, it wouldn't pleasant."

"On one mission, I was stung by an insect and began to be transformed into…something. Colonel Maybourne took me away from here, because he wanted to see what would happen when the transformation was complete. It did not matter to him that I would not survive this change. He only wanted to see if it would lead to a weapon he could use."

"Then you understand why you can't tell anyone about this?" Blair said.

"Yes. But the members of SG-1 would not do this. They are good people."

"We'll take that under advisement, Teal'c. But if we tell them, we want to do it in our own way. Just keep this knowledge to yourself, please."

"As you wish. May I ask you a question?"

"Yes."

"Do you plan to attack as the other companion did?"

Blair seemed taken aback by the question and paused before answering. "Teal'c, the companion you spoke of attacked because his guardian was being threatened. If his guardian hadn't been in danger, if the Jaffa hadn't been standing between him and his guardian, they wouldn't have been hurt."

"Then I will attempt not to stand between you."

"Thank you, Teal'c." Blair held out his hand for Teal'c to shake. Teal'c looked reluctant to do so, but Blair's smiling face and sparkling eyes compelled him. He took the smaller man's hand. When it was released, Teal'c nodded his head and left them alone.

Several hours later Jack was escorting both men to another briefing with General Hammond. Jim and Jack were deeply engrossed in a friendly debate of Army vs Air Force, so neither man noticed that Blair had stopped to tie his shoelaces. They rounded the corner before Blair could finish.

As he hurried to catch up to them, he careened into an officer coming from the other direction. "Oof," Blair said as he stumbled against the wall. "Sorry, man, didn't mean to bowl you over." Blair looked up into the coldest pair of eyes he'd seen in a long time. The man was dressed in military blue and was wearing the same rank markings as Jack. That made him a Colonel. Blair looked at the man's nametag, and felt his stomach lurch. Maybourne. Wonderful. "Sorry, man, I should have been looking were I was going."

The other man sneered and shoved him up against the wall, ignoring Sandburg's outraged "Hey!"

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" the other man snarled.

"Chill out. Dr. Jackson invited me. I was on my way to see General Hammond." Blair said, trying to remove the man's hand from his shirt.

"Jackson, I should have known. The fool thinks he can just let anyone in here. Well, he's wrong. And until I personally check you out, you'll stay in a detention cell."

The colonel yanked Blair's arm behind his back and pulled it up, forcing Blair to stand on his tiptoes in order to keep the arm from being broken. Blair let out a yelp of pain. As Blair struggled to release the other man's hold, footsteps reverberated through the corridor from the direction Jim and Jack had gone. Suddenly, the officer's grip on Blair slipped as the man was thrown up against the wall. He looked into the ice-cold blue eyes of Jim Ellison. Although Jim was dressed in civilian clothes, he looked military in bearing. That led to the officer's mistaken impression that he could order his attacker around.

"Get your hands off me, solider, before I have you court-martialed."

He quickly realized his mistake as Jim got right into his face and growled. "I'm not a soldier, mister, and from what I can see, you're a piss-poor excuse for one. You don't order me around." He shoved the man a little harder against the wall. "And if I ever catch you hurting or yelling at him," he motioned his head toward Blair, "if I even catch you looking funny at him, I will tear you apart. Piece. By. Piece." These last three words were each emphasized by yet another shove. "Do you understand me?"

"What the HELL is going on here?" General Hammond's voice bellowed down the corridor. He looked around the group standing in the hallway, and his eyes finally lit upon a familiar face. He sighed. He knew he shouldn't have gotten out of bed today. Colonel Maybourne's presence didn't help matters; in fact it just made it worse. It was bad enough that the members of SG-1 already hated the man almost as much as they hated the Goa'uld, but the man had apparently made an enemy of Jim Ellison as well. Why were things never easy with this group?

Maybourne, still unsettled at having seen his very painful death in the eyes of the man still holding him against the wall, tried to reassert his power. "I demand that this man be brought up on charges. He attacked me!"

Blair was brought up short at this. He would _not _haveJim threatened because of him, especially not by the man that Teal'c had warned them about. "Then I want _you_ brought up on charges. There was no call for you to damn near break my arm."

General Hammond crossed his arms over his chest and fixed his gaze on Maybourne. "Well, Colonel Maybourne?"

"He was roaming the halls. He shouldn't be out just wandering around."

"I wasn't _wandering_, I was following Colonel O'Neill to see the general. I had to stop and tie my shoe. My visitor badge is prominently displayed," he said, motioning to the badge on his shirt. "If you had asked that in a civilized manner, instead of manhandling and threatening me, then maybe you might have gotten some straight answers."

General Hammond ran his hand over his face. His weariness vanished at Maybourne's next words. "I demand to know who these men are! I never gave clearance for either of them."

O'Neill snorted under his breath as General Hammond's gaze burned into Maybourne. "YOU demand? Colonel, may I remind you that not only do I outrank you, but Icommand this facility. These men have _my_ clearance. That's all you need to know." He turned to Jim and Blair. "Gentlemen, I apologize on behalf of Colonel Maybourne. You have my personal assurance that he will NOT bother you again. Blair, are you hurt? Do you need to see the doctor?" Blair shook his head. "Okay, let's go into the conference room. Colonel Maybourne, you will wait for me in my office."

The general escorted Jim and Blair away, leaving Maybourne and O'Neill in the corridor. O'Neill snorted at the look of outrage on Maybourne's face. "You've been reading your copy of 'How to Make Friends and Influence People' again, haven't you, Maybourne?" Jack chuckled and walked toward the conference room, whistling under his breath.

After joining the rest of SG-1 in the conference room, General Hammond once again apologized to Jim and Blair for Maybourne's behavior. "I am sorry, gentlemen. There's no excuse for what just happened. I assure you that he will be dealt with."

"Just keep him away from us. I'm a cop, I know how to hide the body." Jim growled.

"Yeah, and we'd all help you," O'Neill said.

General Hammond glared at his subordinate, and tried to steer the conversation to a different topic. "Now, have you decided about the mission?"

Blair grinned at the gruff military leader, his excitement overshadowing the episode with Maybourne. "Oh, yeah, we're definitely gonna go."

"Good. Colonel O'Neill," he said, turning to the man in question, "SG-1 has a go for tomorrow morning."

"Yes, sir. Jim, Blair, welcome to the team. We'll be leaving at 0700 hours."

"Uh, one word of advice," Daniel interjected. "You may not want to eat breakfast before we go. It takes a little time to get used to the affects of gate travel. It's always best to go your first couple of times on an empty stomach."

"Gotcha." Blair and Jim chorused.

O'Neill took charge. "Okay, then, let's go round up our gear tonight so it's all ready to go."

After gathering their gear, they went down to dinner. Since it was still early when they finished, Jack asked Jim and Blair if they wanted to join the poker game that evening.

"Oh, yeah," Blair said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "I could use the extra cash."

"Oh, ya think so?" O'Neill asked tongue-in-cheek. "Pretty sure of yourself, aren't you."

"You'll see, man, you'll see."

Three hours later, O'Neill admitted defeat in the face of Blair's winning streak. "I fold," O'Neill said, throwing his cards down in disgust. "Hell, I haven't been wiped out this badly since the first night I met Jonesy." He threw a glance to the airman in question.

Jonesy snorted. "Now I know how you felt," he said, indicated the one lone chip left in front of him. He shook his head, glancing at Blair. "I can't believe he pulled straight flush with a four-card draw. If I hadn't been dealing that hand, I might have been suspicious."

Blair just grinned as he waited for his partner to call or fold. Jim was the only one still in on this hand, and he was also down to his last chip. "Well, Jim. You in or out?"

Jim glanced down at his hand, then at his partner. "Care to place a little side wager, Chief?"

"Such as?"

"If I win this hand, you tell me exactly what that bet Daniel alluded to was all about."

Blair's gaze narrowed in suspicion, ignoring the splutter from Daniel as the other man choked on his drink. "And if I win?"

"What do you have in mind?"

Jim was entirely too relaxed about this, which only increased Blair's unease, but he wouldn't back down now. Even at the risk of a little embarrassment. "Oh, I'm sure I can think of something." Then he muttered only loud enough for Jim to hear, "like maybe a month of testing, no arguments from you."

Jim chuckled, confident. "You got it." He threw his last chip into the pot. "Call."

Blair laid his hand down, face up. A full house with queens over fours.

"Close, buddy, but not quite good enough." Jim said as he showed his hand. Four eights. Blair hung his head. Jim had won.

"Well, Chief?" Jim said patiently.

Blair glanced around at the others sitting around the table. "Jim," he beseeched his friend, "Can't I at least tell you later when we're alone? I really don't want everyone on this base knowing about my humiliation."

"Okay," Jim agreed. "But later, you will tell me."

"Well," O'Neill said interrupting. "On that note, I think it's about time we turn in. We have an early morning. Some of us need our beauty sleep."

"Yeah," Blair teased his partner, "some of us need more than others."

"Careful, Junior," Jim said good-naturedly. "Or you may wake up one morning with several inches less hair than you went to sleep with."

"But at least mine still has the ability to grow back, Jim."

"Ooh, low blow, Sandburg," O'Neill said. "I think I'm gonna leave before the bloodshed starts."

"You're no fun at all, Jack," Jim laughed. "C'mon, Chief, collect your ill-gotten gains and let's go."

Everyone else had left before Daniel cleared his throat. "Um, I'll walk you guys back to your quarters. I need to talk to you both."

"Is something wrong, Daniel?" Blair asked his friend.

"Not wrong, really. I just have some questions to ask both of you." Jim and Blair exchanged worried looks, but followed Daniel.

When they reached their quarters Jim went in first, scanning for bugs. Although he'd done it earlier, he was glad that he made the decision to check again when he heard the faint static sound that betrayed the presence of a listening device. He coughed. When Blair glanced at him, he made a casual motion to his ear, letting Blair know what he'd found. His partner's eyes widened, but Blair took the hint without skipping a beat. While Jim made a show of searching for the bug he'd already located with his senses, Blair started in on a monologue to forestall any comments from Daniel, who was watching Jim's actions with confusion.

"So, Daniel, what's the deal with this Maybourne creep? Did someone surgically place that broomstick up his ass, or is it a natural phenomenon?" Jim had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Apparently, Blair also harbored suspicions about who was responsible for the sudden presence of a bug in their quarters.

"Um…" Daniel stammered.

Blair started an off-the-cuff tangent about Maybourne's behavior in the hall earlier and its direct correlation to the man's sexual performance. Then he went into a monologue on how the ancient peoples of some Polynesian island would have dealt with the dishonorable behavior Maybourne had shown earlier. It ended when Jim 'found' the bug and made a show of pulling it apart. Daniel's eyes widen when he realized what it was.

Daniel quickly denied any knowledge of the device. "I swear, guys, we did not bug your room."

Jim nodded. "I believe you, Daniel. If I were a betting man, which I proved earlier that I am, I'd say Maybourne is responsible for this." Blair nodded his agreement.

Daniel sighed in relief, which turned into laughter as he thought about Blair's monologue. He would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when Maybourne heard Blair's 'theories.'

"Are we clear now, Jim?" Blair asked.

"Yeah."

With that assurance, Blair turned to Daniel. "So, what was it you wanted to talk to us about?"

"Well, I'm not sure if I should get into this now, considering the bug."

"Trust me," Jim said, "we're clear."

Daniel took a deep breath and turned to Blair. "The incident earlier in the weapons room got me a bit curious. I asked Teal'c about it, but he preferred that I talk to you."

"About?"

"Sentinels."

Jim heard his partner's heart rate skyrocket, but the kid didn't betray his anxiety. His voice was even as he replied to Daniel's statement.

"What about them?"

Jim listened for several minutes as Blair did a verbal thrust-and-parry to Daniel's questions. Finally, he gave in with a chuckle.

"Enough, Chief."

Blair must have seen something in Jim's expression, because his eyes got wide. "Jim…"

Jim turned to Daniel. "Can you get Jack, Carter and Teal'c in here? I think we need to put all our cards on the table, so to speak." Daniel nodded and quickly left to round up his teammates.

"Jim," Blair hissed, "are you seriously considering telling them?"

"Yeah, I am, Chief."

"I don't get it."

"Chief, we're going to be on another planet with these people. That's a galaxy away from our regular backup; Simon. I think they need to know what's going on with us. Just in case."

"Jim, if you tell them, what's to stop them from turning you into, and I use your words here, man, 'the government's newest lab rat'?" He made quote marks in the air, punctuating his comment.

"Don't forget, Chief, we still have the info I left with Simon as a trump card, should the need arise. But I really don't think it's going to be a problem."

"Jim, you're gonna have to do better than that to explain this sudden desire to tell all. What has prompted this?"

Jim sighed heavily, trying to figure out the best way to explain his actions. "Teal'c," he said simply.

"Teal'c?" Now Blair was really confused. "What does Teal'c have to do with this?"

"When we were talking earlier to Teal'c, I heard a lot more than his words, Chief. I heard the strength of his convictions. I heard the respect he has for his teammates, and General Hammond. You don't command that level of respect, you have to earn it. Especially with someone who gave up everything to travel to another world and become a member of their team. Then there's the fact that Teal'c is treated like a valued member of the team, not as some _thing _to be dissected by the likes of Maybourne. There's obviously no love lost between Maybourne and SG-1."

"Ya know, man, I just can't understand that. I mean, the man has _such_ a wonderful personality," Blair said sarcastically, bringing a smile to his partner's face.

"Chief, I'm sorry. I should have talked to you before I made the decision to tell them. After all, you're as much a part of this as I am. This is as much your secret as mine. Do you think we should tell them? Cause if you have any doubts, we'll need to come up with some major obfuscations in the next few minutes."

Blair studied his partner closely. "You're really okay with this, Jim?"

"I won't say I'm not apprehensive, Chief. But I'm trying not to let my 'fear-based reactions' get the best of me," he said with a smile.

"Fair enough, partner. Okay, so we tell SG-1. What about General Hammond?"

"After what happened with Maybourne earlier, I think the general feels just about the same as SG-1 does. If O'Neill feels the general should know, then we'll tell him."

"Okay, Jim. Well, at least one good thing can come of this. I can ask the questions I really wanted to ask about gate travel. I admit, I've been worried about how it would affect you."

"You always worry about how things will affect me, Blair."

"That's my job, man." Blair shrugged. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into Jim's warm, blue gaze.

"I know I don't say it enough, Chief, but you do one hell of a job. I'm glad you're my partner. And I have full confidence that you'll get me through this trip just fine. But more than that, I'm glad you're my friend." Blair flushed at Jim's words, but his heart was warmed. The two men had been through some tough times, but they had worked through their problems, making their friendship _and_ their partnership stronger than ever. But Jim was still reticent about giving compliments, so whenever he did, Blair's smile was apt to blind those around him. Jim's next statement turned Blair's smile into a grimace.

"Now, I believe I won a bet earlier, and I'd like to collect on my win. Talk."

"Um, well, uh…oh, damn." Jim could actually see the flush move up Blair's face as his embarrassment grew. "Okay, man. Here goes. About twelve years ago, a whole bunch of us on campus got into a weekend-long poker game. I was very drunk and very broke. I thought I had a sure win, didn't figure anyone could beat me. It was just me and this jock named Tony. But I didn't have enough to ante up. So one of the other football players laughingly told Tony that if I lost the hand, I should have to go out on the field with the cheerleaders at the big Homecoming game the next week."

Jim was confused. "Yeah, so?"

"Inacheerleadingskirt." Blair mumbled so softly and quickly that Jim almost missed it.

"What?" Jim exclaimed. "You're kidding! So what happened?"

Blair sighed. "We were playing deuces wild. I had a royal flush. So I agreed. Unfortunately, Tony had five of a kind. So, the next weekend, I was out on the field wearing a skirt." Jim snickered at the picture Blair's word conjured up.

Jim clapped Blair on the shoulder. "So did your classmates recognize you?"

"Oh, yeah, Tony made sure _everyone_ knew what I had to do."

"Sorry, Chief. I'm sure it was embarrassing when it happened, but at least it was something you could live with."

"Oh, yeah, I know. It was just not one of the greatest moments of my life. But it was a long time ago. It just wasn't something I ever wanted to have to relive."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Daniel returned with the other members of SG-1. It was obvious that they had woken up Captain Carter. But both Jack and Teal'c had still been up.

Jack leaned up against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay, Ellison, we're here. Danny said you had something important to tell us."

"Yeah. First things first, though." Jim held up the bug he'd found. He handed it to Jack, who looked shocked, then angry.

"What the hell…" Jack started.

"Someone may want to warn Maybourne. If I find another one of those things within a hundred yards of me again, the only sounds it's gonna be picking up are his bowel movements after I shove it up his ass." Jim's threat, delivered softly, nevertheless left the others with no doubt as to his sincerity. Blair stifled a hoot of laughter, but he enjoyed the mental picture that Jim's words had conjured up.

"One of these days," Jack growled, "I'm gonna shoot that man."

"We'll help you hide the body," Blair repeated Jack's earlier offer.

Jack grinned, but then turned serious. "I'll get a scanner to make sure that there aren't anymore."

"Trust me, there aren't."

"How can you be so sure?" Jack asked.

"Because that was the only one I heard." Jim casually stood back after dropping that little bombshell. Only Teal'c didn't react.

"What?!" Jack exclaimed.

"I knew it," Daniel grinned.

"No one can 'hear' a bug," Carter said. "It's not possible."

Blair grinned. "It's possible for a Sentinel."

Silence greeted his statement, then Daniel clapped him on the back. "You found him, Blair. By God, you found him."

"Wait a minute, wait a minute," Jack said. "Do you have to have ten years of college to understand this conversation, or can anyone join in? What is a Sentinel?"

"According to Sir Richard Burton, the explorer not the actor," Blair started the spiel that Jim had now become familiar with, "a Sentinel is a man pre-disposed to have senses heightened beyond that of normal humans. I had hundreds of cases of people with one or two hyperactive senses…"

"Like people who work for coffee or perfume companies." Sam Carter interrupted.

"Exactly. But until I met Jim I never found one subject with all five. He is the real thing."

"Wait a minute. Hyperactive senses? You expect me to believe that?"

"Um, Jack, with everything we've seen over the last couple of years, do you really want to go there?" Daniel asked his friend.

"Humor me."

"I can prove it, Jack." Jim stated.

"How?"

Jim sniffed the air. "Well, for one thing, Jack, you brushed your teeth before Daniel called you up here."

"Yeah, so?"

"You use toothpaste with baking soda in it. Captain Carter, yours is mint flavored. And the lotion you use is…" Jim inhaled. "Honeydew melon scented?"

"Yeah," the woman nodded.

"Captain Carter, can you measure your pulse rate for a minute?"

Sam's eyes got wide, but she did as Jim asked, counting the beats silently. After the minute was up, she looked at Jim. "87 beats." Jim stated. Sam looked at Jack and nodded.

"Lucky guess," he said, but he didn't look very confident.

"Is it also a lucky guess that you and General Hammond spent almost 30 minutes in his office discussing birthday gifts for someone name Cassandra?"

Jack's jaw hit the floor. "How…You were in your quarters, three floors up."

While Jack tried to grasp the evidence that even he couldn't deny, Daniel was throwing questions at Blair and Jim faster than the two men could process them.

"How far beyond normal are they? How far away can you see, Jim? Can you hear into the subsonic range? The sense of smell is the most powerful in most humans, how far advanced is yours? Have you always had the senses? Is this what Teal'c was talking about in the weapons room? What…" Daniel's questions were cut off as Jack put a hand over the younger man's mouth.

"Daniel, breathe. Good boy."

Blair turned to Jim, a shell-shocked expression on his face. "Is this what I sound like when I get going on a topic?"

"Yep."

"Oh, man. I owe you and Simon a huge apology."

"Yep."

"I'm sorry, Jim."

"Apology accepted, Chief. But you'll have to do better than that with Simon."

Blair was silent for a moment. Then, "I'll figure something out."

"I'm sure you will, Sandburg. Just give me enough notice so that I can be out of range of ground zero, huh?"

"Funny, Jim. Very funny." He turned back to the members of SG-1. "Listen, we'll answer your questions, if you answer ours. Deal?"

"Deal," Daniel said eagerly.

No one got much sleep that night.

The next morning when SG-1 returned to get Jim and Blair in order to head out, the two men were already up. Jim was still trying to talk Blair out of the decision that the younger man had made the night before.

"Sandburg, I don't like this idea. As a matter of fact, I hate it."

"Jim, man, they said the planet is deserted. How much trouble can I get into in the few seconds it'll take you to come through the gate?" Seeing Jim's expression, he hastily said, "Don't answer that." He ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure out the best way to explain this yet again. "Jim, even if you turn all your dials down there's no way of predicting what will happen when you step through that gate. This way, the moment you get to the other side, I'll be right there to help you if anything has gone wrong."

"Ellison," Jack said, "we'll be going through before Blair. There's nothing to worry about."

"I still don't like it." Jim's stony expression didn't change.

Teal'c came forward. "Jim Ellison, I will make it my personal responsibility to protect your companion until you reach the other side. You have my word that no harm will come to him."

Jim and Teal'c stared at one another for several seconds. Finally, Jim nodded.

"Thank you," Jack said. "Can we go now?"

"Just one other thing," Daniel said. "Blair, if you have any data on Jim here, you may want to take it with you. I wouldn't put it past Maybourne to search your belongings while we're off-world."

"Not to worry, man," Blair said, patting the battered backpack slung over his shoulder. "Never leave home without it."

"Blair," Carter asked, "what about your material at home? Maybourne isn't known for letting any stone left unturned."

"Especially the one he crawled out from under," Jack mumbled.

Blair and Jim both smiled at the comment. "Sam, I don't take any chances with Jim's safety. Any material I have was locked up before we left Cascade." Sam nodded.

"Look, guys, I really hate to break this up, but it 0630. We need to get to the gate room. And we still have to pick up our gear."

"Sorry, Jack," Blair said. "I'm ready."

Walking down the corridor after the others, Jim whispered to Blair. "You call her Sam?"

"Hey, she told me to."

"I swear, Junior, you just never stop."

"When you got it, you got it, Jim." Blair smiled.

When they arrived in the gate room, General Hammond handed each of the pair a device. He explained that it was to signal the SGC before coming back through the Stargate so that the general could order the iris to be deactivated. Then he demonstrated the iris for them and explained its design and purpose. Carter took them into the control room to show how they 'dialed' the address for P3S559.

"There's a device on the planet we call a DHD, or Dial-Home device. It's how we'll get back. It's like using a phone. There are seven symbols that need to be pushed in a specific sequence. Coming back to earth, this is what the sequence it will be." She proceeded to show the two men the seven symbols they would need in order to dial Earth's 'address'. She had them go through it several times, until she was satisfied that both men had memorized the symbols.

"Once we get to P3S559, I'll show you exactly how to use the device, but at least you'll know the address." They joined the others back in the gate room.

As O'Neill received last minute instructions from the general, Blair was softly whispering his own instructions to Jim. "Okay, pal, except for your sight, just turn all the dials down as low as you can without totally shutting them off. Just before you step through the gate, shut your eyes tightly. Don't open them again until you feel and hear me tell you to, okay?" Jim nodded. "We'll be fine, Jim, you'll see. Just another ride on the roller coaster, man." Jim snorted. He noticed that Teal'c had taken up a position right next to his partner. Jim nodded at Teal'c, reminding the Jaffa of his promise.

The moment Blair stepped through the gate, Jim felt…empty. Lost. He'd have to remember to tell Blair that. Taking a deep breath and turning down his dials, Jim closed his eyes and stepped through the gate.

Jim felt the sensation of floating, but kept his eyes tightly shut. It wasn't until he heard Blair's voice and felt the hand lightly slapping his face that he chanced opening his eyes. He found himself on the ground a few feet from the Stargate. At Blair's urging, he slowly returned the levels of his senses to normal. Jim squinted in the bright sunlight. Blair handed him a pair of sunglasses.

"Lower the dial on your eyesight just a bit, Jim. You'll need time to adjust, cuz this planet is a binary system." Blair said, motioning to the two suns overhead. "How are you doing?"

"Chilly."

"Yeah, that's the cold of space. Give it a minute, it'll wear off." Blair assured him.

With help from Teal'c and Blair, Jim got to his feet. He swayed slightly, feeling a little lightheaded. He looked around. The gate was behind them. The whole area around the gate for several hundred yards was clear of vegetation. To Jim's left about one thousand yards away was a small hill. Once he got his bearings, he nodded to Teal'c. The alien released his arm. "I return protection of your companion to you, Jim Ellison."

"Thank you, Teal'c."

Blair was about to make a smart remark, when Sam approached. "Jim, Blair, let me show you the DHD." Sam said. Leading them over to a device next to the Stargate, she explained its purpose. Both men correctly found the address they had previously memorized and Sam was confident that they could both activate the gate should the need arise.

"Okay, folks," Jack ordered, "let's set up camp."

They all helped to set up the tents that would be their shelter for the next several days. Jim sent Blair off to look at the monument that had brought them to this planet while he went about setting his and Blair's gear out in the tent they would share. Once finished, he went out to find Jack making coffee over the camp stove they had brought with them.

"Like some, Jim?" he asked, holding a cup aloft.

"Yeah, please." He took the cup Jack handed him, taking a hefty sip, letting the caffeine work through his system. Taking Daniel's advice from last night, he and Blair hadn't had anything this morning but water.

"So, how you doing?" Jack asked. "Survive your first trip through the gate okay?"

"I guess so." He looked up. "It sure feels strange seeing two suns up there, though."

"I've seen so many strange things since this all started, multiple suns don't even faze me anymore. Try finding out that the Norse god, Thor, is really a member of an alien race called the Aasgards. I've met him. He's a helluva…guy." Jack shrugged.

"I always figured that Sandburg would be the closest to an alien I'd ever meet." Jim eyes strayed to where Teal'c was standing guard. "Guess I was wrong."

"You mind telling me what happened between you in the weapons room? I've never seen Teal'c act like that."

Jim took a sip of his coffee. "It seems that Jaffa can 'sense' Sentinels and their guides. Apparently they've been conditioned to be wary of them. Teal'c was just reacting to that. But we've talked, and I think, worked through that. Although I have to give Blair credit for that. I swear, that kid could charm the spots off a leopard." Jack chuckled.

The two men continued their talk as they walked over to where Blair had both Daniel and Sam mesmerized by his tales of the Crulee people. Jim watched with fondness as Blair's hands moved as he told his story. It was gratifying to see the kid in his element, teaching and talking about other cultures. Jim took a deep breath, an easy, relaxed smile gracing his face. The sudden silence startled him into opening his eyes, only to find Blair's gaze on him. He noticed that the others were looking back and forth between the two of them, confused at Blair's sudden attention shift.

"What?" Jim asked his partner.

Blair shook his head, curls bouncing in the sunlight. "Nothing, man. It's just rare to see you really smile like that. What's up?"

"It'll sound stupid," Jim mumbled.

Blair snickered. "Never stopped you before," he said, and ducked the playful swat Jim aimed at him.

"It's just…even when we go camping, there's always that underlying smell of smog and exhaust in the air, no matter where we go. The air here is so…clean. So…pure."

Blair took a deep breath, turning his face into the slight breeze coming up from the direction of the Stargate. He smiled and nodded. "I hear that, man. You're right, it is different. Cool."

Jim looked at the obelisk. "C'mon, Chief. We've got some translating to do."

They had been at the site for two days. Jim was doing guard duty when Blair came up with some water. "Here, Jim." He said, handing the cup over. "Thought you could use a drink."

"Chief, you've been plying me with water every couple of hours." Jim said gently, not wanting to hurt Blair's feelings. "I understand that I need to be extra careful because of the dual suns. I promise, I will be. You don't need to keep taking time away from your work on the obelisk to check up on me." He didn't really mind Blair's concern, but he didn't want to interrupt the younger man's work.

"Jim, it's not a bother. Your sentinel senses make you even more susceptible than the rest of us and it's my job to look out for anything that affects you." He could see that Jim wasn't buying it, so he used the one argument that was sure to appease his friend. "Besides, it's my way of remembering to be extra careful myself. You know that I tend to get lost in my work. This way, I stop for a few minutes, grab some water and relax in the shade of the tents. Then I come to check on you. We both benefit." Jim nodded and relaxed. Blair grinned to himself, knowing how easy Jim was to manipulate. Good thing that Blair only did it when it was really for Jim's own good.

Suddenly, something caught Jim's attention. He cocked his head to the side, extending his hearing. Blair, having caught the movement, immediately went to Jim's side, laying his hand on Jim's arm, grounding him.

"What do you hear, Jim?"

Ignoring Blair's question for the moment, Jim turned and caught Jack's eye. He motioned the other man to join them. Soon, all the members of SG-1 were circled around them. Jim looked at Jack. "I thought you said this planet was deserted."

"Reconnaissance showed no signs of inhabitants," Jack stated, unslinging his rifle from his shoulder.

"Well, we've got company. Or we will have soon. I've got four heartbeats heading this way. Humanoids."

The members of SG-1 looked around, but didn't see any sign of life. "How far away are they?" Sam asked.

He listened more closely. "At the rate they're moving, we should get a glimpse of them in about ten minutes. They're coming from that direction." Jim indicated the area in front of them.

"Great," Jack griped. "Why do the new neighbors always show up before you've had a chance to settle in?" He looked to the small hill a short hike away, in the opposite direction that Jim had indicated their visitors were coming from. "Okay, let's take cover there until we find out if they're the universal version of the 'welcome wagon'."

The members of SG-1 were prone on the ground, watching for the figures that Jim could tell were coming closer.

"Uh, Jim," Jack started.

"Yeah," he said absently.

"Are your senses telling you anything about them that maybe I should know about?"

With Blair's guiding hand on his arm, Jim sent his senses out even further. He heard their visitors talking to each other. He frowned in confusion.

"Jim, what's wrong? What do you hear?" Blair asked.

"Their language is almost…familiar."

"In what way?" Jack asked.

"The pronunciations are a little different, but it sounds almost like…Chopec."

"That would actually make sense, Jim. The Crulee did occupy the area that the Chopec now call home. It's quite possible that the Crulee language influenced the tribes that came after. We have both Crulee and Chopec symbols on the obelisk. And since the Crulee seemed to have a connection to this planet, the inhabitants here may also have been influenced."

"Jim," Daniel said, "can you translate what they are saying?"

"Well, my translation may be a little off, but I'll try." He listened closely for a minute, vaguely aware of Blair's hand on the small of his back. "One is questioning the wisdom of this journey. He wants to know why their protector has suddenly decided to meet with those coming through the circle. Only the glowing eyes come through the circle. Another answers back that the protector was told in a dream to do so, and that it isn't wise to deny the protector. Or the gods that guide her dreams."

After a few more moments, Jim shook his head. "That apparently ended the conversation, because no one is saying anything now."

SG-1 also lapsed into silence, waiting for their visitors to make an appearance. Several minutes later, the small party of four came into view over a small rise. Jim zoomed in his site, not seeing any obvious weapons. He relayed this information to the others.

The quartet approached the tents that SG-1 had already set up. One of the men looked around the camp, while the others stayed back. When they ascertained that the camp was deserted, all four glanced at the surrounding area. They talked quietly amongst themselves, and Jim translated what he heard to the others.

"One is asking if we have gone back through the circle. The other one, the one I believe is in charge, says that they will wait. That is what the protector wanted." He cocked his head to the side, then smirked and grinned at Blair. "He's saying that the protector wants to meet the Sentry and the Companion. Then he warned them all not to upset the companion. Seems the protector was told in a dream that the Companion would be very fierce in defense of the Sentry. Seems like the Jaffa aren't the only ones afraid of the Companions, Chief."

"Ya know, Jim, I'm starting to get a complex here." Blair retorted.

They watched the visitors for a few more minutes, then Jack sighed. "Well, we can either go say hello, or we can sleep out here tonight."

"It's gonna rain tonight," Jim predicted. "I'd prefer not to sleep outside."

"Well, then," Jack said. "Let's go say 'Hi'."

Jack stood up, keeping the muzzle of his rifle pointed down to the ground, but still retain the ability to aim should their guests turn out to be hostiles. "Jim, can you translate?" he asked as the natives noticed their approach.

"Yep. What do you want me to say?"

"Danny, you wanna handle this?" Jack bowed to Daniel's first contact skills.

"Greetings would probably be the best way to start." Daniel said.

When they got close enough, Jim started talking

/Greetings./

/Greetings, visitor./ The one in charge bowed to the team. /I am Gwilden. We have been sent by our village protector to welcome you and invite you to visit./

/I am Jim Ellison. These are my friends. Blair Sandburg, Daniel Jackson, Jack O'Neill, Samantha Carter and Teal'c./

/That one carries the weapon of a Jaffa./ Gwilden indicated Teal'c

/He is Jaffa, but he doesn't not serve the G'ouald./

/He serves you?/

/He fights with us. He is his own person./

Gwilden bowed his head in acceptance. /Then he is welcome as well. Our protector would like to meet with your Sentry and Companion. They are with you?/

/I am the Sentry. Blair is my companion/

/Our village lies to the east about three hours walk away. Will you join us?/

After conferring with Jack and Daniel, Jim nodded. /It would be our honor./

As they came within sight of the village, Blair noticed Jim's shoulders stiffen. His friend was looking around with ever-increasing scrutiny.

"Jim, what's wrong?" Blair asked him.

"I'm...not sure. Something is tickling at the edge of my consciousness, but I'm not sure what it is."

Blair stopped walking, pulling on Jim's arm to halt the bigger man's progress. The members of SG-1 also stopped. Gwilden and his people turned back to them, puzzled looks on their faces.

"Why have we stopped?" Jack asked.

"Jim is sensing something. We need to figure out what it is."

"Now?" Jack said.

"Yes, now. If he's sensing a trap, I'd rather know sooner than later. Wouldn't you?"

Jack blinked, then shrugged his shoulders. "Got a point. Figure away."

"Blair..." Jim started.

Blair held up a finger to shush his friend. "Do NOT start with me." He gestured to Gwilden, knowing that the native couldn't understand them. "We don't know these people from Adam, so we need to figure out if we're being set up."

/Is something wrong?/ Gwilden interrupted.

/My companion wishes to rest for a few minutes./ Jim translated, taking advantage of the knowledge that Gwilden's 'protector' warned them not to upset the companion. Jim then returned his attention to Blair. "Okay, Chief, how do we go about this?"

After several tries with Blair guiding him, Jim was getting frustrated with his lack of success. "Damn it, it's useless. It's not anything I'm really picking up with any of my senses, it's just...there. Not like last time, though," he muttered.

"Last time?" Blair focused on that statement. "What last time, Jim? Have you felt this before?"

"I guess so."

"When?"

"I don't know, Chief," Jim growled. "I can't pinpoint it. I just know this feeling is familiar, but not quite the same."

"Well, that certainly explains everything," Jack quipped, then took a step back at the twin glares that Jim and Blair threw his way. "Uh, joking," he said, holding up his hands.

"Shut up, Jack," Blair and Jim chorused, then returned their attention to each other.

"Sheesh," Jack muttered, "try and lighten things up and this is the thanks I get."

"Jim," Blair instructed, "take a deep breath and close your eyes." Jim did as Blair said. "Now, let your mind drift back to when you last felt this feeling. Where were you?"

"In...in a convenience store." Jim's eyes popped open. "Fuck, it was the leopard causing this feeling."

"Leopard?" Sam asked. Blair and Jim ignored her.

"Jim, are you telling me that this is the same feeling you had right before Alex..." Blair trailed off, unable to continue. He never like thinking about that dark time when Alex Barnes had almost destroyed both Jim and Blair, and ended up drowning Blair. It was Jim that had brought the younger man back from the dead. Neither of them had ever talked much about it once they had returned from Peru in their pursuit of Alex.

"The same, but different."

Blair composed himself. "Can you explain that a little bit better, Jim?" But Jim's gaze was focused on two figures that were standing at the edge of the tree line to the east side of the village. Jim could clearly see the two teenage boys. One was a few inches taller than the second. The taller boy had long, jet black hair. It was down past his shoulders, longer even than Blair's. The second boy was smaller, but his hair was just as long as the other boy's. Jim could see that both boys were lean and wiry and looked like they spent a good deal of time outdoors. There was something eerily familiar about them.

/Those boys down there, who are they?/ Jim asked Gwilden.

Gwilden had to squint in order to recognize the figures that Jim was pointing to. /That is Luren and Inder./

/And they are like us?/ Jim asked. /A sentry and companion?/

/Yes./ Gwilden seemed unsurprised by the fact that Jim knew this.

Jim turned to Blair. "Chief, can you see the two boys at the edge of the village, by those trees?"

Blair squinted, "Kinda, yeah. Why?"

"They're a Sentinel/Guide pair, Chief. That's what I was picking up on. The fact that there was another Sentinel around."

Blair paled, then turned around to go back the way they came. "Okay, that's it. We're outta here."

"What do you mean, 'we're outta here'?" Jack said. "We just got here."

"Hold on, Chief." Jim grabbed Blair's arm, but released it as Blair spun around, eyes blazing.

"Forget it, Jim. There's no way in hell either of us are going near another Sentinel. I'm not in the mood to die today. Or any other day for that matter. Not again." This last statement shocked the members of SG-1. They exchanged looks with each other, but kept silent as Jim flushed.

"Chief, this isn't the same."

"Are you willing to bet my life on that? The last Sentinel we met killed me, Jim! Killed. Me." Blair said savagely. "And she tried to kill you, too. Then she tried to kill both of us again down in Peru by releasing that virus. How can you be so sure that this one will be any different?"

Jim put both hands on either side of Blair's face, forcing the young man to look at him. "Chief, take a deep breath and calm down. Let me explain." Blair focused on his friend's eyes, Jim's request finally getting through his panic. He took a deep breath.

"Okay, Jim, I am calm." Jim just raised his eyebrows and Blair shrugged. "Well, as calm as I'm going to get, anyway. So explain."

"Okay. Remember I told you that the feeling was the same, but different?" Blair just nodded. "Well, now that I've seen the other sentinel, I can understand the difference. Before Alex showed up, I could feel her malevolence. It was making its presence know in the form of her spirit animal. That's why I kept seeing the leopard and why it was making me...cranky." This understatement got a smile from Blair, which was Jim's intention. "But I'm not feeling that here, Chief. Not this time." He stopped, unsure how to explain this right. Then he got an idea.

"Blair, you've been studying up on your Shamanism, right" Jim asked, already knowing the answer. When Incacha, Jim's guide while living with the Chopec, had come to Cascade on a mission of revenge, he had been gravely injured and had died in Jim and Blair's home. Before his death, he had passed on the way of the Shaman to Blair. Since then, Blair had been studying up on shamanism, trying to find what he needed in order to help Jim and live up to Incacha's faith in him. Having been raised by Naomi Sandburg, the quintessential hippie, Blair had long been into meditation. Shamanism took that to a whole new level.

"Yes," Blair said, in answer to Jim's question.

Jim pointed to the two boys that were still at the tree line. The boys were looking up toward their group, the taller boy standing a foot or so in front of the other. "Blair, use those gifts of yours and tell me what you feel. You should be picking up the same things I am. Hell, you'll probably pick up more, because you're more comfortable with all this mumbo-jumbo."

"Does anyone else feel like we've stumbled into a bad episode of the 'Twilight Zone?'" Jack muttered softly. He didn't expect a reply and therefore wasn't surprised when his team remained fixed on the conversation between Jim and Blair.

Blair, at Jim's direction, turned towards the boys. Centering himself by breathing deeply, he tried to remember all that he had learned and read about reading auras and feeling his way around the spiritual realm. Soon, he came to that place of calm and sent his own 'senses' outward. Finally finding that which he sought, he blinked and gazed up at Jim. "Wow."

"Do you understand what I mean, Chief? I'm not sensing any evil there."

"I understand now, Jim." Blair smiled. "Those boys are young and untrained, they're confused and frustrated. But they're not evil. They want to learn, so they can protect their people, their home. The way Sentinels and Guides have been meant to do for millennia." Blair's eyes filled with sadness. "Somehow, somewhere, things went terribly wrong for Alex, didn't they, Jim?"

"Probably, partner. But she had the opportunity to change and didn't. She can't hurt you anymore, Chief. She can't hurt anyone anymore." Alex was presently in a sanitarium in San Diego, having been brought out of the jungle in a comatose state. Alex's doctors doubted that she would ever regain consciousness.

"Yeah," Blair said softly, feeling a lot of his anger toward Alex slipping away.

"So, do we continue on, partner?" Jim asked Blair.

"Yeah, we do. Times of great change are coming to this place, Jim. I can feel it. These people will need a Sentinel and Guide to defeat the danger. Those boys need us, Jim. And maybe...maybe we need them." Blair turned toward Gwilden, indicated that they were ready to resume their trek to the village.

"Is someone going to explain what just happened?" Jack asked.

"Later, Jack," Blair and Jim said in unison.

"Later," Jack grumbled. "Why do I feel as if I'm no longer in charge of this mission?"

"Because you are not, O'Neill." Teal'c stated in his usual straightforward manner. "The Shuk'la is." Teal'c walked off behind Jim and Blair, with Sam and Daniel right behind him.

Staring at his retreating teammates, Jack yelled, "Was I _ever _in charge? Carter? Daniel?" Not getting a response from any of them, Jack hurried after them as they continued their journey. He mumbled under his breath about court-martials and ungrateful Jaffa. Hearing a chuckle from Jim, Jack scowled and kept the rest of his thoughts to himself. Surely, even a Sentinel couldn't overhear those. Right?

Their arrival in the village was met with much speculation and whispers from the inhabitants, who they had learned from Gwilden, called themselves the Choulenes. Gwilden led them directly to the structure at the center of town. Jim muttered that it reminded him of the house that the Chopec Chief had lived in. Blair, still anxious, was nevertheless fascinated by the comparisons Jim was making between Gwilden's people and his time spent with the Chopec.

/Protector, I have brought the visitors as you requested./ At Gwilden's announcement, a woman stepped out of the structure. In her mid-forties, the woman stood tall and proud, her long, straight hair gleaming blue-black in the suns overhead. Her chocolate-colored eyes were warm and friendly. She was dressed in a simple sheath, decorated with beads around the bodice.

/Thank you, Gwilden. On behalf of my people, I welcome you. I am Fresna, protector of the village. Thank you for accepting our invitation./

/Thank you. I am Jim Ellison./

/You are the Sentry./ She looked at Blair. /And you are his Companion. It is an honor./ She bowed to Blair as Jim introduced him, and then to the others as Jim introduced them. Like Gwilden, she also seemed nervous when she realized that Teal'c was a Jaffa. She looked at Blair. /His presence here is acceptable to you?/

/He is my friend./ Blair translated through Jim.

/Then he is also welcome. Please sit and join me in our meal./

During the meal, Jim translated questions from all the members of his team, and answered the ones asked by Fresna. Most of her questions were directed to Jim and Blair. Once the meal was over, Fresna began to tell the history of their village, and the dream she had two nights previously.

/It has been said that our ancestors were brought here a thousand years ago through the great circle by those with the glowing eyes. They had killed our Sentry before bringing us here. They put us to work in mines not far from here. A generation later, our people were blessed by the birth of a Sentry and Companion pair. We hid the children, keeping their presence a secret from the glowing eyes and their Jaffa. Once the children had grown and become strong, they led our people in a rebellion against our captors. We drove the glowing eyes and their Jaffa back through the circle and claimed this land for ourselves. Over many generations, the Sentries and Companions would guard the circle, keeping watch for the return of those that brought our ancestors here, but they never came back. Eventually, the birth of Sentries and Companions stopped. We did not have a Sentry or Companion born to any of the villages in hundreds of years./

/But that has now changed?/ Jim asked her.

/Yes. Fifteen years ago, days before my son was born, I had a dream that a child with the gifts of a Companion was born in a neighboring village. This dream also showed me that the child I carried was a Sentry. I was also shown a time of great change coming for our people. My son, Luren and the Companion, Inder, are both young men now. They are fast friends, as close as brothers. But sadly, we are without other Sentries and Companions to help them learn to use their gifts, to pass on their knowledge. We have a Sentry that does not know how to use his senses without becoming lost and a Companion that does not always know how to help him. Then, two nights ago, I had another vision. In this vision, I saw a large black animal come through the stone circle, followed by another smaller one with gray fur. I was shown that they were a Sentry and Companion. I was told to find these visitors, and ask them to help teach our young ones. Before.../ she trailed off.

"Before those with the glowing eyes return," Blair finished her statement after hearing Jim's translation. When Jim repeated Blair's statement to her, Fresna nodded.

/Then you have seen the visions, too?/ she asked. Blair nodded. /Luren and Inder need to know how to use their gifts to protect our people. So I ask you, Jim Ellison and Blair Sandburg, will you help? Help teach these young men how to be a Sentry and Companion?/

"You can't be serious," Jack said later, when the six were alone in a small hut at the edge of the village. They had been told it was for visitors and since it was long after both suns had set, no one wanted to try and return to the Stargate in the dark. "Look, I hate the Goa'uld as much as the next guy, but we don't have the authority to get the United States involved in this battle."

"The United States isn't the issue, Jack," Blair said calmly. "These people haven't asked us to join their fight or do their fighting for them. They asked Jim and I to help teach those boys how to use their gifts. This has nothing to do with the military or politics. It has nothing to do with you or Stargate command. This is Sentinel business. And it is up to Jim and me to decide. Not you."

"I am still in charge of this mission," Jack said. _I think._

"This isn't part of your mission. Your mission was to bring us here to translate the obelisk," Jim countered. "And we'll still do that. But if Blair and I decide to help Luren and Inder, then we'll do that, too. We're not military, Jack. You can't order us around like some privates just arrived from boot camp. And we can accomplish both things."

"How? The obelisk is three hours away. You two planning to travel back and forth each day?"

"No," Blair said. "I figure it would be easiest if Luren and Inder accompanied us back to the gate. They could remain with us while we work on the translations. And we could work on training them."

"Blair, it sounds as though you and Jim have already made your decision," Daniel said. "Have you really thought this through?"

Blair gazed at Jim, looking for and finally finding his answer in his friend's eyes. "We have. We are going to help Luren and Inder. It's our duty as Sentinel and Guide to pass on our knowledge. Knowledge we didn't have. Jim and I have been going through this by the seat of our pants. We've been lucky to survive. And we were only going up against mere mortal criminals. Luren and Inder are going to face the Goa'uld threat. They will need every advantage they can get. And right now, we are their biggest advantage."

"Actually, Colonel, this could be beneficial to the SGC," Carter stated.

"Yeah? How?"

"Whatever is in that mine is obviously important to the Goa'uld. It might be something we can use. Then we can propose a trade. Blair and Jim's help for whatever is in that mine."

"No!" This outcry came from Blair. All eyes turned toward him. "I will NOT make these people pay for our help. I've already told you, this is Sentinel business. You find something else to trade with these people for. You will not involve Jim and I in your military politics. Forget it." With that, Blair stomped out of the hut, almost growling in anger.

"Well, that went well," Jack said. He looked at Jim. "Feisty little thing when he gets his back up, isn't he?"

Jim smiled, proud of his partner. "You don't know the half of it. Take his advice, don't push this. You don't want to be on his bad side." He turned and followed Blair. Jack turned back toward his team.

"Now what?"

/

Blair quickly walked to the edge of the village, breathing deeply, trying to calm himself down. It wasn't working. Finally, he sat on the ground and crossed his legs underneath him. Closing his eyes, he took several deep breaths and started to meditate. He had only been that way for a couple of minutes when he heard a soft sound next to him. Opening his eyes, he looked over to see a young boy mimicking his position, studying him curiously. He smiled, trying to appear non-threatening. He knew this was one of the two boys he would be teaching. Fresna hadn't introduced them yet, but he had a feeling that this one was his counterpart, Inder. The boy said something to him, but Blair couldn't understand.

"He asks if you are going to be his teacher, Chief," Jim translated, having followed Blair from the hut.

"Tell him that I'd be honored, if he'd like me to, Jim." Jim spoke to Inder, introducing Blair and relaying his Shaman's words. Inder nodded enthusiastically in response. Blair laughed.

"I guess that's a yes."

"I'd say so, Chief. As you've probably guessed, this is Inder."

"Yeah, I'd guessed." The boy said something else and Jim replied. Blair looked at his friend quizzically.

"He wants to know if you were attempting to contact the spirits, Chief."

Blair shook his head. "No, just trying to calm down. Release my anger."

"That's what I told him."

"Jim, ask him if his Sentinel is around. I'd like to meet him, too." Jim did as Blair asked. Inder nodded, then said something softly. Moments later, another youth came out of the trees, heading toward them. He stopped several feet off, sizing up both Jim and Blair. Finally, he moved forward, dropping down next to Inder and sitting in the same fashion. Jim figured he might as well join them, since he would be needed to translate.

It was about an hour later when they finally broke up. And that was only because Blair was so tired, he could barely keep his eyes open. But he was optimistic about being able to help both Inder and Luren. Both boys were intelligent, lively and very protective of their people. All the things a Sentinel should be. Watching Luren interacting with Jim, he felt like he was looking at a before-and-after picture. Luren is what Jim once was. Jim is what Luren could become. Both boys had strong ideals of justice and loyalty to their people. And he thought that teaching these boys would be a learning experience for him and Jim as well.

/

The next day saw the group, with the addition of Luren and Inder, heading back toward the Stargate. Blair quizzed Luren and Inder, trying to determine exactly how strong they both were with their respective gifts. It would give him a baseline on where to start training the two boys. During the walk, Inder pointed out several bushes that produced red berries. He explained to Blair, through Jim, that the berries were edible and were a favorite of the Choulenes people. Blair remembered seeing several of the bushes close to their base camp. That would help supplement their diet while they were here, giving a nice change from the freeze-dried food that they had brought with them.

Once they reached camp, the members of SG-1 did a perimeter check and made sure their equipment was still in working order. In the meantime, Blair and Jim set up the extra tent for the boys, taking the time to show them what they were doing. When that was finished, Blair asked Luren and Inder to help him gather berries from the bushes nearby. With Jim translating, they joked and laughed as they gathered enough berries for everyone. Blair smiled as he noticed the boys eat almost as many berries as they gathered, their mouths stained red with the juices. Blair turned to remark on this to Jim, only to find his partner was sneaking a few berries into his own mouth. Blair laughed out loud, while Jim grinned sheepishly. When they had deposited their contribution next to the other food, Jack was waiting for them.

"Jim, Blair, I need to talk to you both for a minute."

"Sure, Jack, what's up?" Jim asked.

"Well, since we're going to be here for longer than we had figured, Carter is going back to the SGC to explain to General Hammond what is going on. I'm just wondering about what she should tell him about the help you're providing to Luren and Inder."

Jim and Blair exchanged glances. They had discussed this last night before the pair had returned to the hut. They had known that the General would need to be updated about the situation and had planned for this.

"Jack, answer me something truthfully," Jim said. "Do you feel the General would understand the need to keep our secret from his superiors? Because we have no intention of become lab rats for the likes of Maybourne."

"General Hammond is the best commanding officer I have ever served under," Jack said emphatically. "He's always been more concerned with his people that with rules and regulations."

"Then tell him. But only him."

Jack nodded. "Fair enough. You can trust Hammond."

"We're counting on that, Jack," Blair said. "Let the General know that once we get back to the SGC, we'll answer any questions he has. But we have a need to help Luren and Inder. It's important to both Jim and I."

"Okay. Carter will be leaving in a few minutes. Is there anything you want brought back?"

"Some oranges would be nice," Blair said. "And maybe some tea?"

"I'll let her know." Jack returned to confer with Carter. Jim and Blair returned to the boys.

/

_Minutes later-SGC_

"General, incoming traveler. It's Major Carter."

"I'll be right there." General Hammond came out of his office and down into the gate room. Through the event horizon of the Stargate, Major Carter stepped out onto the ramp, approached the General and saluted. "Sir."

General Hammond returned the salute. "Major. How are things going on P3S559?"

"Very well, sir. Could we talk, sir? Privately?"

"Certainly, Major. My office, as soon as you've checked in with Dr. Frasier."

"Yes, sir." Major Carter departed the gate room, heading to the infirmary for the customary check that every member returning from off-world had to go through. Less than ten minutes later, Carter was knocking on the General's door.

"Enter."

"Sir, reporting as ordered," Carter said.

"Sit down, Major. Now, how are things going?"

"They're going better than expected, sir. We have found natives on the planet. Or should I say, they found us." Sam went on to explain the entire details, including Jim's Sentinel abilities. Hammond was a little upset to know that SG-1 had known about Jim before they left Earth, but couldn't really blame the man for wanting to limit those who knew about him. With too many people like Maybourne, Ellison had to be careful.

"Well, that is certainly an interesting story. Did you find out what was in the mines that the Goa'uld wanted?"

"Yes, sir. Stones, like the ones used in several of the Goa'uld devices, including the ribbon device we appropriated. The mines are still viable, according to the leader, Fresna. If we could engineer some kind of trade with these people, it could enable us to experiment with some of these devices."

"Then we'll have to find something to trade with them. If Blair feels that strongly about not using his help as part of the trade, I'll respect that."

"He does feel very strong, sir. He almost bit my head off for even suggesting it."

"All right, Major. Return to P3S559 and tell Colonel O'Neill that he has my permission to stay longer. Just keep me updated on your progress...on both fronts."

"Yes sir." Standing up, Major Carter saluted and left the office. Quickly gathering the supplies she was taking back with her, including Blair's requests, she was soon ready to return to the planet.

When she stepped out of the Stargate, the camp looked deserted. She knew that the others had taken cover, verifying that it was her returning and not a surprise Goa'uld attack. She stood at the gate, waiting until the Colonel was satisfied and showed himself. She approached as the group gathered and relayed the General's decision. Blair nodded as she let him know that the General was willing to abide by Blair's decision regarding teaching Luren and Inder.

After unpacking the supplies she'd brought, Sam approached Blair, carrying a bag with about two dozen oranges. Handing them to Blair, she smiled. "Do you think these will be enough for awhile, Blair?"

"Well, maybe a little while," he said, accepting them. Quickly peeling one of the fruits, he separated off a wedge and bit into it, smiling as the juice ran down his chin. Separating the rest of the orange, he offered wedges to the others. He had Jim explain to the boys that as they had shared their planet's offering to the visitors from Earth, so Blair was sharing Earth's offering with them. Both boys accepted the fruit, biting into it tentatively. Their eyes opened wide as the taste of the fruit registered on their taste buds. They quickly finished the wedges they had and accepted when Blair offered them more. They spoke quickly in their language, excited. Jim translated.

"They love the fruit, Chief. They said they've never tasted anything so juicy and that we are blessed to have such bounties."

"Well, I'm glad they're enjoying it."

"Maybe that's it," Carter murmured.

"What's it?" Blair asked.

"Maybe that's what we can offer the Choulenes in trade."

"Oranges?"

"Not just oranges. When we first studied this planet, it included studying atmosphere, weather, soil. Everything. This planet's soil is rich and fertile. It's perfect for growing crops. But yet, I noticed that there were no crops anywhere near the village. Maybe we can make a trade, showing them how to grow some of these fruits and vegetables, in return for the stones that come from their mines."

Blair became excited. "Do you think that it's possible?"

"Maybe. I'd want to talk to some of our botanists, see what kind of crops would be able to grow in a dual-sun environment. And of course, we'd want to make sure that the foods wouldn't harm the villagers. But it's something to consider."

"Well, I'm for anything that feeds people. Especially if it will allow them to grow their own crops and be more self-sufficient."

"I think I need to contact the General with this idea. Excuse me." Carter walked off, heading the MALP device to contact the SGC.

/

Two weeks later, the group was still there. While Jim and Blair took turns working on the translation, and doing exercises with Luren and Inder, Carter was going full steam ahead on her idea.

At General Hammond's okay, another team had joined SG-1 on the planet. This included Dr. Swank, who is a botanist, Dr. Frasier, and two members of SG-5, Lt Theodore and Airman Bankston. Lt. Theodore was used to handling negotiations. Major Carter went with them to the village to talk to Fresna. The village's protector was very interested in Sam's idea. Dr. Swank set to work checking soil samples to verify their earlier tests. And Dr. Frasier conducted tests on several willing villagers to compare with the Earthlings. Although not everything could be calculated for, Dr. Frasier wanted to make sure that the new foods would have as little detrimental effect on the Choulenes people as it was possible to plan for.

While that was happening in the village, Jim and Blair were hard at work, too. Although the translation was progressing quickly, it was their work with Luren and Inder that gave both men the most satisfaction.

Although Luren wasn't as strong as Jim, it came easier for him to learn new techniques. Blair figured this was because Luren was comfortable with being a Sentinel and eager to learn what he could do. He had been raised to be proud of what he was. Because of Jim's upbringing, he had tried to deny or hide his abilities for decades.

Inder, too, was proving to be an apt student. With Blair's gentle guidance, he was quickly learning how to not only bring Luren out of a 'zone-out', but to prevent one from even occurring. And he was quickly taking to Blair's meditation techniques, finding them restful, he told Blair.

By helping the boys, Jim found his own skills getting even stronger. Jim was pushing himself even further in using his gifts, as a way of showing Luren what the boy would become capable of. Jim found himself reveling in being able to openly use his skills, not needing to hide them. He knew he would miss this aspect once they returned to Cascade, and real life.

For Blair, it wasn't so much that his gifts were getting stronger, but that his confidence in those gifts was growing. Even though Jim never hesitated to tell Blair how much Blair helped him, Blair was never quite sure of that himself. But watching Inder using his ideas, his techniques to help Luren, made Blair realize that he wasIdoing a damn good job helping Jim. He felt good about himself, and about his work with Jim.

/

The "official" step in the relationship between Earthlings and the Choulenes people was done. The negotiations had been settled, and a treaty signed with full participation from the State Department. Crops had already been planted. Many fruit trees from Earth had been planted near the village. Hopefully, they would start to produce fruits within the next growing season. Several of the crystals had already been given to Colonel O'Neill for transport back to Earth. The botanist, Dr. Swank, and several members of the SGC that had farming experience, would be remaining on the planet to oversee the growing and harvest, until the Choulenes people were able to handle it themselves. Both the SGC and the Choulenes were satisfied with the bargain, and hopes were high for a long and lasting friendship with the Choulenes.

And the obelisk had been translated. The first part, that Blair translated, was the story of how the Crulee tribe, along with members from other tribes in the same area on Earth, had been brought here from the 'old world.' Luren explained that stories handed down said the obelisk had been carved in secret while the tribes were slaving in the mines. The second part, Jim's part, was written in an early version of Chopec, and was done at the same time by the other tribesmen that were brought here. It detailed their abduction and their alliance with the Crulee to defeat the false gods that had brought them here.

In talking with Fresna and the tribal elders, they got the rest of the story. Fresna had told them earlier that while they were slaves, a Sentry/Companion pair had been born and hidden. The Sentry was a member of one of the other tribes, the Companion was born to the Crulee. All the slaves took this as a sign that it would take their combined forces to defeat their captors. Once the tribes had defeated the Goa'uld, they knew they had no way to return to Earth. They did not understand how the gate worked. They settled on their new planet. Their spoken languages, very close to begin with, allowed them to communicate fairly easily.

After more than a generation, and many marriages between the different tribes, they no longer saw themselves as separate, but one tribe. And the Choulenes people emerged. They eventually took the obelisk and moved it near the Stargate, as both a remembrance to their past, and a warning to anyone coming through the gate. A later portion was added, stating their determination to never again be enslaved. They would fight to the death against any enemies. This was to serve as a warning to visitors.

So now the members of the SGC had all been invited to a celebration in the village to celebrate the treaty. Good food abounded from both planets. Many of the foods that would soon be growing on the planet had been brought from Earth, so the villagers could see and taste the bounty that would soon be theirs.

It was during the celebration that a call came over O'Neill's radio. "Colonel, Colonel, come in. This is Anderson." Captain Anderson was a member of SG-8. The team had come over to guard the Stargate while SG-1 and SG-5 were attending the celebration.

"Anderson, this is O'Neill. Go ahead,"

"Colonel, the Stargate just activated. Someone is coming through. We've taken cover. Orders, sir?"

"Are you in a position to see who comes through the gate, Captain?"

"Yes, sir."

"Keep out of sight. If it's friendlies, call me back. If it's not, maintain radio silence and head out. Do not engage. We'll meet you halfway." Signing off, he updated SG-1 and SG-5 on what was going on. They gathered up their weapons and proceeded to go. Daniel had Jim explain to Fresna what was happening. Before he could blink, Fresna was organizing some of the villagers.

"Daniel, what's going on?" Jack asked.

"I'm not sure, Jack."

Jim answered. "She is ordering the villagers to prepare for battle. She's ordering the children and women to hide. The men are gathering weapons and will accompany us."

O'Neill was shaking his head even before Jim had finished. "That's not necessary. We'll handle it."

Jim translated, and Fresna glared at O'Neill.

/This is our home and our fight. If this is the time of change that was foretold, then we must take a stand now. My people will not allow ourselves to be enslaved again./ With that, she turned her back on Jack and started to give orders to her people, while Jim translated her response to Jack.

Jack started after her, but Jim stopped him. "Face it, Jack. This is their planet. They have just as much right to this fight as SG-1. Maybe more. And if these are the Goa'uld, the Choulenes need to make a show of force to send a message."

Jack sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, okay, okay, you've made your point. Let's go."

Another argument started when Jack realized that Luren and Inder would be joining them. This time it was Blair that stopped him.

"Jack, they need to do this."

"They're just kids, Blair."

"By our standards, yes. But we aren't in America, Jack. This is a whole different world, a scary one that is possibly being invaded. And they are Sentinel and Guide. This is what Jim and I were teaching them to do...protect their people. And we need to show that we are confident in their ability to do so. We'll be leaving soon. Those boys are the future, the hope for the Choulenes people. They need to do this."

"I can't afford to be worrying about them, Blair."

Jim broke in. "Then don't, Jack. They can handle this. And Blair and I will be right there. We'll watch over them."

"Colonel, we're ready," Carter yelled. She and Teal'c were standing a few feet away, weapons at the ready.

Jack turned back to Jim and Blair. "They're your problem, then. Let's go."

SG-1, SG-5 and numerous villagers headed out to meet up with SG-8. The villagers were armed with staff weapons similar to what the Jaffa normally used. Jack learned that they had been seized when the Choulenes first drove the Goa'uld off the planet.

The group had been walking for about 2 hours when Luren and Jim both halted. Luren tilted his head in a move Blair had seen Jim do many times.

/"Teacher,"/ Luren said, /"four men are approaching from the east. They are speaking your language, but in hushed tones."/

Jim nodded. /"You're right, Luren. That's our other team."/ He relayed the information to Jack, then turned back to Luren. /"What else do you hear, Luren?"/

Luren listened, then stiffened. /"More men, teacher. But they smell...funny. And they are walking with a heavier tread than the first group."/

Jim warned Jack, while Luren warned the villagers. At Jack's direction, the entire group took cover just at the edge of the forest. At Jim's signal, Jack stood as the members of SG-8 came into the clearing. Using hand signals, he indicated where he wanted SG-8 to go. Anderson rushed to Jack's position, whispering to Jack, confirming the theory that the 'gate-crashers' were, indeed, Jaffa. Then it was just a matter of waiting for the enemy to show themselves.

They didn't have to wait long. Less than ten minutes later, about a dozen Jaffa came to the clearing. Jack stood up, gun aimed at the lead Jaffa.

"Stop right there."

All the staff weapons the Jaffa carried pointed Jack's way and they opened fire.

"Shit," Jack said as he ducked for cover. The tree he ducked behind was destroyed as one of the Jaffa made a direct hit about a foot above Jack's head. Jack rolled away as he heard Carter give the order to fire. He raised his head from his new hiding place, brought up his gun and added his own shots to the mix.

It was over in minutes. With three SG teams and numerous villagers, the Jaffa were outnumbered, and soon all were down. While Teal'c and Carter went to make sure all the Jaffa were dead, Jack conferred with Anderson and Theodore, while Jim and Luren listened. No one knew anything was wrong until both Jim and Luren turned towards where Blair and Inder were rending first aid to a couple of villagers who had minor injuries.

"Chief, look out," Jim yelled. He started running, but before he'd taken two steps, another Jaffa came out from the other side of the clearing. His staff weapon was primed, the sound having alerted Jim and Luren to the danger. He was aiming at Blair and Inder.

"Die, Shuk'la," the Jaffa said. As the staff weapon aimed an energy beam at them, Blair and Inder both instinctively raised their hands, as if to ward off the blast. Jim heart stopped, sure he was seeing the death of his friend and guide. Suddenly, the energy beam seemed to hit a force field of some kind, and rebounded back on to the Jaffa. When it hit him, his body flew back several feet and impacted with a tree with enough force to fully impale the Jaffa on a thick branch. Everything seemed to stop for several seconds as silence descended.

"Sweet," Jack finally said.

Jim and Luren ran over to their guides, checking them over to make sure neither Blair nor Inder were injured. Jim let out a sigh of relief at seeing both of them a little shocked, but unharmed.

"What happened, Blair?" Jim asked. "How did you two do that?"

"Us?" Blair said, glancing at Inder, who looked just as confused. "We didn't do anything. Except maybe soil my trousers." he joked. "Man, that was...intense."

"Then how did you deflect that attack?" O'Neill asked. "We've never seen anything like that. Teal'c, have the Jaffa ever heard stories about something like this?"

"No."

"You're sure?" Jack quizzed. Teal'c just raised an eyebrow. Jack sighed, "Yeah, yeah, that's your final answer."

/

Once the team had secured the area around the Stargate, Jim went over to where Blair was making some coffee.

"You okay, Chief?" he asked.

"Yeah, Jim, everything's fine." Blair's tone sounded normal, but the fact that he wouldn't meet Jim's gaze told a different story.

"Chief," Jim said, "I think we need to so some tests."

That got Blair's attention. "Tests, Jim? _You_ want to volunteer to some tests on your senses?"

"Oh, no, not me, Blair. I'm not the one that is exhibiting new powers. No, you're the guinea pig this time, my weapon-deflecting friend." Jim's smile made Blair nervous…very nervous.

Blair's eyes widened. "Um, me? Why are you so sure it was me? Seriously, Jim, if I had powers like that, don't you think they would have manifested before now? I mean, hell, if I could have used something like that against Lash, or Kincaid, or…"

"Well, it's either you or Inder. So maybe we need to test each of you. We'll just start with you."

Blair narrowed his eyes as he stared at Jim's oh-so-innocent expression. "You're enjoying this, aren't you, Jim?"

His partner smiled. "Yep. I intend to be just as thorough in my testing as you are in yours, Chief."

Blair sighed. "Oh, boy."

/

The next day, Jim, Blair, Sam, Jack, Daniel, Teal'c, Luren and Inder gathered in a nearby field. Jim tried to re-create the scenario that occurred the day before, first with Blair, then with Inder. It wasn't easy, since they didn't want to use a staff weapon or a Zat gun. Jim had no intention of causing pain of any kind to either Blair or Inder, so had settled for using a knife that he could easily deflect away. But neither Guide could produce the force field that had saved them the previous day.

Everyone had opinions as to why.

"Perhaps because it's not a critical situation, " offered Sam. "Yesterday, the Jaffa were trying to kill them."

"Or maybe it's something in the atmosphere or a planetary phenomenon that isn't present today," concluded Daniel.

"Maybe the testing is flawed," Jim said grumpily. "I'm usually the subject, not the scientist."

"Maybe the weapon is the factor." This from Teal'c.

"Maybe they're standing too far apart," Jack said in a bored tone. He'd been skeptical of the whole testing and thought it was a waste of time.

Everyone stopped to look at him. "What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Well, Blair and Inder were next to each other when it happened. Now you're testing them separately. Maybe they need to be closer together."

Silence. Everyone looked at each other. Jim shrugged his shoulders. "Couldn't hurt."

So they re-did the test, with Blair and Inder next to each other. When Jim and Teal'c came charging towards them simultaneously, a bolt of light reach out from where the two Guides stood, knocking both Jim and Teal'c back about ten feet.

Jack whistled softly. "Sweet."

Jim, on the ground where the bolt had knocked him, shook his head. "Damn, that packs a wallop." He glanced at Blair, who was staring at him with wide eyes. "Well, Chief, looks like Jack was right. It's both of you together."

"Blair," Daniel said, "have you ever run into this before?"

"Well, no…but I've never run into another Guide before."

"Never?"

"Never. Another Sentinel, yes, but not another Guide."

"Wait a minute," Jack exclaimed, "you mentioned another Sentinel before we met the boys. And it didn't sound like it ended in a friendly manner. Where is he?"

"_She_ is in a hospital for the criminally insane," Jim said. "Right where she needs to be."

/

"Blair, can we talk for a minute?" Daniel asked later.

"Sure. What's up?"

"I was just wondering, having met Jim and all, when you're going to turn in your thesis and get your doctorate."

"Never," Blair said, matter-of-factly.

This surprised Daniel. "What do you mean, never? Aren't you going to even try?"

"Not with the Sentinel thesis. I will eventually turn in _a _thesis and get my doctorate. But I will not put Jim risk. It's just too dangerous, for Jim and for any other Sentinels that may be out there."

"From men like Maybourne, you mean?"

"Yes, there are men like him out there, men who would want to use Sentinels as tools, but not really caring about them as people. But it's not just that. Even common everyday criminals…if a Sentinel thesis went public, they would know how to use Jim's own senses against him. I'm not going to open him up to that kind of danger."

Daniel was quiet for a minute. "Do you have another thesis subject in mind?"

"Some ideas, but nothing concrete yet. And nothing down on paper."

"But you'd like to get your doctorate with your Sentinel thesis, wouldn't you? You'd like to show all those 'learned' people, that looked down at you and ridiculed your idea that Sentinels still existed, how wrong they are, am I correct?"

Blair smiled sadly, "Sure, I'd like to give them the silent 'I told you so'. But not at Jim's expense. Those people aren't worth it. Nothing is worth getting Jim hurt."

"I hear you, Blair. And I understand. If you need any help with anything, I hope you'll give me a call. I may be able to help, even if it's only in some small way."

"Thanks, Daniel. It means a lot, really." A shout from Jim caught Blair's attention. "Gotta go." He hurried away.

"Okay," Daniel said. His expression turned thoughtful as he watched Blair walk toward where Jim, Luren and Inder sat talking. Then he smiled and muttered. "Then again, I might be able to help in a great, big way." Daniel turned and looked around for Sam. Finding her, he hurried over to talk to her about his idea.

/

SG-1 were waiting at the gate. The two Sentinel teams were a little way off, saying their good-byes. It was time for Blair and Jim to return home. But their parting was bitter-sweet. What had started out as a simple archeological dig and translation had become so much more.

/"I will miss you, teacher,"/ Inder said to Blair, with Jim translating. /"But I will honor you by discharging my duties well."/

Blair smiled, "I know that you will, Inder. You and Luren are the best examples of tribal guardians. You have already proved yourselves when the attack occurred. You've done both Jim and I proud." Both younger men smiled as Jim translated Blair's words.

Then it was Jim's turn. "Remember to listen to Inder, Luren," Jim said. "He has your best interests at heart. While you protect the tribe, he will protect you. And if you need us, for anything, send word through the Stargate personnel. They have promised to get a hold of us if we're needed."

"Blair, Jim, it's time to go," Jack said. They nodded and turned back to the younger pair. Exchanging handshakes and hugs, they left the Choulenes guardians and walked towards the Stargate, where Major Carter was punching in the "address" back to Earth. She and Daniel went through the Stargate. Blair and Jim turned around one last time and waved at Luren and Inder, then went through themselves.

Once back at Stargate command, they went through the standard medical checks with Dr. Frazier, who had been brought in on Jim's abilities while visiting the planet. Then they were given the okay to call Simon, letting him know they would be back in Cascade the next week. Simon seemed glad to hear from them, but they knew he wouldn't be completely happy until they were back in Cascade.

Tomorrow they would spend the day in debriefing. But for now, they returned to their quarters after a hearty meal. Blair sat down on his bed and just stared at the floor.

"What's wrong, Blair?" Jim asked.

Blair sighed. "I miss it already. Teaching the boys. Watching them expand their gifts. I never realized how good it would feel, teaching another pair. Especially a pair like them, so eager to learn."

"Unlike me, huh, Chief, fighting you at every opportunity." Jim's smile let Blair know he wasn't upset. "I know where you're coming from. I miss it, too. I miss them. And, oddly enough, I think they taught me just as much as we taught them. I have a greater appreciation of what the role of a Sentinel/Guide pair is now. I'm going to miss not having to hide what I do. It's been nice, being able to openly use my sense these last few weeks."

"Yeah," Blair said wistfully, "I wish we could be more open with your senses. But what's that old saying, 'if wishes were horses…'"

"Then there would be a lot more manure to clean up, Chief."

"Ha, ha, Jim."

"I do wonder, though," Jim said.

"About what?"

"About your new abilities. We proved on the planet that it was both you and Inder that created that force field. I wonder if we were able to find another guide here, on Earth, if you'd be able to do that."

"I don't know, Jim. I guess we won't be able to answer that question unless and until we find a guide."

/

_6 weeks later, Cascade, WA_

Blair had just gotten home from class when the doorbell rang. Going to the peephole, he gave a smile of surprise and opened the door. "Daniel, Jack. Come on in." The two members of SG-1 ambled inside the apartment. "This is a surprise. What are you two doing here?"

"We're on a little R&R," Jack said. "Thought we'd check out the fishing in the area."

"Well, Washington state has some great fishing. Jim would probably be the best one to ask, he's done a lot more of it than I have. Can you both stay for dinner?"

"We were hoping you'd invite us, Blair." Daniel smiled. "We got a hotel down the road a bit. Besides, I had an idea I wanted to run by you. But, we didn't arrive empty-handed. We have a gift for you and Jim." Daniel handed over a wrapped package to Blair.

"Thanks. Jim should be home in about 15 minutes. I'll wait until he gets here. In the meantime, would either of you like a beer?"

"Sounds good," Jack said. "And as for dinner, if you don't already have something started, how about we order out? Chinese or Pizza or something. Our treat."

"I just got home, and since it's my turn to cook dinner, I won't say no," he joked with Jack.

The three men were talking amiably when Jim came in. Having already heard the voices from the first floor, Jim smiled as he hung up his coat. "Jack, Daniel, good to see you."

"You, too, Jim," Daniel said.

"Jim, we're ordering out for pizza," Blair said. "What are you in the mood for?"

"Pepperoni and black olives for me, Chief." Blair went off to place their order while Jim put away his gun and grabbed a beer from the fridge before sitting down on the couch. "So, Jack, what are you and Daniel up to now?"

"So suspicious, Ellison. We're just here for some fishing, a little R&R."

"Uh-huh. Why do I have trouble believing that?"

Jack chuckled, "Because your spidey-senses are tingling?"

"Wrong comic book hero, Jack. I'm more of a G.I. Joe kind of guy," Jim cracked.

Blair caught the tail end of Jack's comment as he hung up the phone. "So you guys _are_ here for more than fishing. Is everything okay with SG-1? Luren and Inder, are they okay?"

Jack exchanged a glance with Daniel. "Why don't you and Jim open your gift, Blair. I think you'll like it."

"Gift?" Jim asked. Blair picked up the wrapped package Daniel had given him earlier. Sitting down next to Jim, Blair opened the gift. It turned out to be a standard picture frame. But the picture inside made both men smile. Luren and Inder were staring back at them from behind the glass.

"Cool," Blair exclaimed.

"We thought you might both like a picture of the boys. General Hammond got us permission to bring it. We made sure nothing would be recognized as being 'odd' about the picture. Obviously, should anyone ask, you'll have to make up a good story."

"No problem, we'll keep it under wraps so no one sees it but us. But thanks, it means a lot," Jim said.

"Yeah," Blair added, "Thank the General for us, too."

"We will. How did things go when you got back?"

"Fine. Everybody asked how the dig went. We glossed over questions of where we were. Tried not to outright lie, but not giving much away. I had some pictures from old digs I went on that we showed everyone, and threw in a couple of Jim that we had from when we were in Peru a few years ago. Everybody bought it."

"Yeah, I hate trying to answer questions while not answering. I haven't totally mastered that art, yet," Daniel said. "Jack's much better at it."

"Military training," Jack and Jim chorused.

"How are the boys doing, have you heard?" Blair asked Daniel.

"They're fine," Daniel said. "We get regular updates from them through the team of botanists that are still on the planet. They asked after you both. Inder said to tell you he had a vision the other night. Said to tell you he saw his 'guide'?"

Blair was beaming. "Really, he said he saw his guide? That's awesome."

"Yeah, I didn't understand that," Jack said. "I thought Inder _was _the guide."

"His spirit guide," Blair explained. "Both Jim and I have them. While we were on the planet, I told Inder about them. Believe me, trying to explain wolves and jaguars to someone from another planet is not easy. I wish I'd had pictures to show them. I'm glad they're doing well. And if Inder is having visions, then he's doing great." He sighed. "I miss them. I miss talking to them and teaching them." He smiled when Jim put a hand on his shoulder.

Daniel cleared his throat. "Now, about what we really came here to talk to you about,"

"_You_ came to talk , Danny," Jack interjected, "I came to fish."

Daniel rolled his eyes at Jack, "Whatever, Jack. Anyway, Blair, how long would it take for you to get your Sentinel thesis done?"

"Daniel, we talked about this on the planet. I'm not going to submit my Sentinel thesis. It's too dangerous." 

"I know you said it was dangerous if it got out. What if I can promise you that it won't get out? You can still get your doctorate, based on your Sentinel research, but it won't get out…at least not while Jim could be at risk."

"And how would you guarantee that?" Blair asked.

"Simple. Once you've defended your thesis and gotten your doctorate, the thesis would be classified. And your thesis committee would make sure of that."

"Who would be on the thesis committee?"

"Myself, Major Carter and Dr. Frasier." Daniel smiled. "I hope you can trust that we will keep your secrets."

Blair looked glum. "Rainier would never allow that."

"Well, that is a sticking point. They wouldn't, because none of us are associated with Rainier University. In order to submit your thesis to us, you'd have to do it through the Air Force War College." Daniel went on to explain. "Because of the nature of the Stargate program, we have a lot of new research that comes through. Some of our personnel, civilian and military, get their doctorates based on research that comes from things happening on other planets. Obviously, that research can't be released to the public. We obviously have a relationship with the War College that allows members of the Stargate program to be on thesis committees for sensitive information that can't be defended in a regular way. We've done this a lot. All the branches have their own War Colleges and deal a lot with classified or sensitive information. With all three of us having our doctorates, we are able to be on committees for other candidates. There are several members of Stargate Command that serve on committees."

"Not that I'm complaining, but why the three of you?" Blair asked. "Is it because you already know about Jim?"

"That's part of it," Daniel admitted. "But truthfully, with my archeology background, and Dr. Frasier's medical expertise, we are the best equipped to be your committee. That just left one more committee member needed. Since she already knew about Sentinels, Major Carter seemed the obvious choice."

He continued. "Once defended, your doctorate would be granted through the War College. It would then be classified. Only people with a certain security clearance would be able to get access to it."

Jim interrupted at this point, "Would that jackass, Maybourne, be one of them?"

"Ah, no," Jack said. "Maybourne has his own problems right now. I don't imagine he's in any position to be a threat to you." His expression indicated that that was all he had to say on the subject. But Jim had to admit, it made him feel a little better to know Maybourne was out of the picture.

"There's your part in this, too, Jim," Daniel added.

"Me?"

"Well, you are the basis of Blair's research. There might be questions we have or a demonstration of your abilities that might be needed. I mean, Sam and I only saw a small part of what you could do, I'm sure. And Dr. Frasier didn't see anything, even though she technically knows about you."

Both Blair and Jim processed this. They glanced at each other.

"I appreciate the opportunity, Daniel. Can Jim and I have a few days to talk this over?"

"Take all the time you need, Blair. This offer doesn't have an expiration date on it. If you want do it tomorrow, great. If you let it go for a year, that's fine, too. If you decide not to do it at all, that's totally your call. I just wanted to let you know that the option is there."

"Thanks, Daniel. I will think seriously about it. And Jim and I will talk."

Jack sat up and clapped his hands together. "Now that that's out of the way, Ellison, where is a good place for fishing around here?"

/

_6 months later – Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado_

"Congratulations,_ Dr._ Sandburg," Daniel said, smiling at the man before him. "How does it feel?"

Blair gave Daniel a tired smile. "It feels good, Daniel, really good. That's one down, and one more to go."

"Are you ready to defend your second thesis to the committee at Rainier next week?"

"I'm as ready as I can be," Blair said. "It's been a long slog these past few months, trying to prepare two theses at the same time."

"I'm not sure how he's done it," Jim said. "Between working with me at the station and teaching his own classes at Rainier. There have been a number of nights he's literally nodded off at his computer."

Blair chuckled. "But it will all be worth it. The world at large will think I got my doctorate from Rainier on ancient warrior tribes and how it relates to today's military and law enforcement groups, but Jim and I will know I got the first one on my Sentinel research. I get what I want, but Jim is protected. It's a win-win situation for everyone concerned."

"And who knows, Blair. Someday, Sentinels may be fully accepted and you will be the pre-eminent expert on them. This thesis is dynamite. You would be the foremost authority on Sentinel/Guide pairings."

"I'd say he already is, Dr Jackson," a voice interrupted the men. Looking towards the door, they saw General Hammond standing there.

"General," Daniel said. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Entering the room, the General smiled and shook Blair's hand, then Jim's. "I just got the news from Dr. Frasier and Major Carter. I wanted to extend my official congratulations to you, Dr. Sandburg. I can't wait to read your full thesis, but the highlights that Dr. Frasier gave me have me very intrigued. And so, I have a proposition for the both of you."

"A proposition, Sir?" Blair asked.

"Yes. I would like to keep both you and Jim on a retainer, of sorts. As a Sentinel/Guide pair and with your expertise on Sentinels, you would be an asset to the Stargate program, should we encounter any other Sentinels and/or Guides, either here on Earth or off-world."

"What would this entail?" Jim asked.

"It would be gentleman's agreement, between you and me. Nothing on paper. It would not involve the Air Force per say, since I know you both want to keep your abilities quiet. And I completely understand why. But we may have other instances where we encounter Sentinels on other planets. If our having a Sentinel/Guide pair helps keep encounters friendly, maybe we could call on you to join the mission temporarily. Also, should we encounter any military members who show heightened senses, I'd like to be able to call on you, Dr. Sandburg, to advise us how to proceed. Even if the military members aren't full Sentinels, I'd like to be able to use what senses are heightened without causing them problems."

"Are you going to be actively searching for Sentinels among the military, General?" Jim asked.

"My younger officers tell me that computers can be set up to search out specific words or phrases while doing searches. I would like to set up a program that would search military medical records to catch on anything mentioning heightened senses. From there, I would check to see if anyone would be suitable for working on the Stargate program. If you are asking me what I think you are, Detective Ellison, no, I am not going to recruit anyone into the program based solely on their senses. It's just that with everything going on with the System Lords, it's an advantage I can't ignore."

Jim nodded. "I can understand that."

"Of course, should you or Dr. Sandburg ever wish to join the Stargate program full time, I would love to have you. But think about my offer. As I said, strictly between you and me, as long as I am the Commander here."

They nodded. The General turned to Daniel. "As for your request, Dr Jackson, you have a go. Enjoy."

"Thanks, General. Blair, Jim, come with me." They followed Daniel to the gate room. The other members of SG-1 were already waiting.

"What's going on, Daniel?"

"SG-1 wanted to get you something to celebrate your doctorate. With the General's approval, we thought a short trip would be nice. Maybe to P3S559?"

Blair grinned. "We're going to see Inder and Luren? Yes! Let's go."

"Hold on there, Chief, what about our flight back to Cascade?" Jim said.

"Not a problem, Ellison," Jack said. "The boys have been told you're coming and are at the gate waiting. We'll be back here by morning, plenty of time for you to catch your flight."

"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" Jim asked with a smile, "Let's go, Chief. I can't wait to see the boys."

With that, Earth's Sentinel and Guide disappeared through the gate.

THE END

93


End file.
